Conflicting Response

Transcription

1 Conflicting Response Towards The Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Ambrose Ma, Ph.D. May 9, 2017

2 1 Abstract This study investigated 1) Chinese Canadians preference for or against the legalization of recreational marijuana, 2) the factors that affect their attitudes towards the said legalization, 3) the possible effective strategies for keeping youth away from marijuana, and 4) Chinese Canadians past use of recreational marijuana and their likelihood of using it when it is legalized. Self-administered questionnaires posted on-line were adopted to collect data. Hierarchical regression analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that over 90% of the respondents rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana, and most of them were female mature adults and seniors. The respondents rejected the legalization probably because they did not accept the argument of the effectiveness of legalization on young people from accessing marijuana, the provision of cannabis cultivation, as well the age requirement set by the new bill. In identifying the possible effective strategies for keeping youth away from marijuana, the respondents favoured law enforcement approach more than educational approach. Yet, a significant minority of the respondents preferred educational and preventive strategies. Only a trivial number of respondents reported that they had used marijuana in the past year, and would use it if it were legalized.

3 2 Introduction The federal government tabled the Bill C-45 (the Cannabis Act) on April 13 of 2017, stressing that the sole purpose is to prevent youth from accessing cannabis and to keep the proceeds away from organized crime. However, the findings of many studies in the U.S. indicate that marijuana use by adolescents relates positively to cannabis legalization. Still, this new bill stipulates a few controversial provisions, such as allowing all Canadians over 18 years old to buy marijuana through legal channels and permitting adults to grow up to four plants at home. Immense impact on the Canadian society will be expected, if this bill passes. Several polling companies have explored the Canadians opinions on this new legislation before and after the introduction of the Bill C-45, but there have been no similar activities in the Chinese community so far. In order to provide the federal government with constructive ideas on drafting this legislation, we are inclined to conduct a study for the following purposes: 1) To investigate Chinese Canadians preference for or against the legalization of recreational marijuana, 2) To examine factors that affect their attitudes towards the said legalization, 3) To identify more effective strategies for keeping youth away from marijuana, and 4) To explore Chinese Canadians past use of recreational marijuana and the likelihood of using it when it is legalized. Method The target population of this study was the Chinese Canadians living in the Greater Toronto Area. Due to the lack of resources and technical problems, we could not use probability sampling method to draw the sample. Instead, we invited self-selected

4 3 respondents through various Chinese mass media, s and words of mouth to participate in our on-line survey. We adopted self-administered questionnaires in both English and Chinese versions to collect data. Each questionnaire contained ten questions with multiple-choice answers, including three for understanding the respondents background characteristics and seven for exploring their opinions on the new bill and their past experience and future intention of using recreational marijuana. Our on-line survey took place between March 19 and April 16 of More than two thousand (2,352) valid on-line questionnaires were returned, with 1,589 sets of English and 763 sets of Chinese. For data analysis, we employed linear regression of inferential statistical method to investigate the effects of the respondents background characteristics and other factors on their attitudes towards the recreational marijuana legalization. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the distribution, frequency and percentage of the variables. Results Background Characteristics of the Respondents Table 1 displays the respondents background characteristics, including their age, gender and education level. The findings show that the respondents were mainly middle-aged, with a mean age around late 40 s. Specifically, over half (56%) were mature adults (40 59 years of age), about three-tenths (31.5%) were seniors (aged 60 to over 70), and approximately one-tenth (11.2%) was young adults (20 and 39 years of age). Only a few of them (1.4%) were teen-agers. The gender ratio was 60: 40, with more female respondents than male ones.

5 4 The respondents education level was exceptionally high. More than sixty percent of them received university or postgraduate education, while one-quarter (23.1%) graduated from community college. The rest were high or elementary school leavers (12.8% and 0.6%, respectively). Table 1:Respondents Major Background Characteristics Background Characteristics Frequency Percent Age 19 and below and over Gender Male Female Education Level Elementary school High school Community college University Post graduate N Preference for or Against the Recreational Marijuana Legalization The findings shown in Table 2 (fourth column) reveal a surprising phenomenon that almost all of the respondents (95.8%) rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana, with more than nine-tenths of them (92.9%) expressed strong disapproval, and a few (2.9%) somewhat disapproved it. To the other extreme, only a small minority (3.5%) offered support to the legalization. The results of ANOVA show that this phenomenon did not change

6 5 significantly even after the introduction of the Bill C-45 by the federal government (second and third columns). These findings are contrary to those reported by polling companies that 63% to 75% of Canadians were in favour of the legalization. Table 2:Respondents Attitudes towards the Recreational Marijuana Legalization Attitudes Pre Introduction Post Introduction Sample % % % Strongly support Somewhat support Undecided Somewhat disapprove Strongly disapprove Total ANOVA F = df = 1, 2350 p >.100 Who Disapproved the Legalization? Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to identify those respondents who rejected the recreational marijuana legalization. The results displayed in Model 1 of Table 3 show that the respondents age was positively correlated with their attitudes towards the legalization (p <.001). That means the older the respondents were, the more they inclined to disapprove the recreational marijuana legalization. In fact, those who supported the legalization were mostly the younger ones aged under 30. In terms of gender, more of the female respondents expressed disapproval than the male ones (p <.001). Yet, the respondents education level did not affect their attitudes, as most of them disapproved it regardless of the education they received. When two other factors perceived effectiveness of legalization and cultivation of cannabis were included in Model 2, educational level became negatively correlated with the legalization (p <.05), while the effects of age and gender on legalization decreased

7 6 substantially. These changes were probably due to the significant inter-correlation between the respondents background characteristics and the other two factors, which had significant effects on legalization. Table 3: Regression Analysis of Respondents Attitudes towards the Recreational Marijuana Legalization a Factors Model 1 Model 2 Background Characteristics Age.160***.080*** Gender.088***.040* Education level * Responses Effectiveness of legalization -.290*** Cultivation of cannabis.336*** Minimum age requirement.208*** Use of Marijuana Used last year Will use when it is legalized Intercept b F- ratio p-value Total R R 2 Change N a Figures shown are Standardized Regression Coefficients, unless others indicated. b Figures shown in this row are Unstandardized Regression Coefficents. * = p <.05 ** = p <.01 *** = p <.001 Why Did Respondents Reject the Legalization? In this section, we investigate the respondents perceived effectiveness of legalization on keeping young people away from marijuana, their opinions on age requirement for buying legal cannabis and the provision of cannabis cultivation, as well as the effects of these variables on the respondents attitudes towards the recreational marijuana legalization.

8 7 The results of descriptive statistics (second column of Table 4) reveal that nine-tenths of the respondents considered that legalization could not effectively prevent young people from accessing cannabis (85.1% strongly disagree; 6.3% somewhat disagree). Only a minority of them (7.4%) believed in the effectiveness of legalization. Similar to the respondents perceived effectiveness of legalization, a great majority of the respondents disapproved the provision that allows adults to grow up to four plants at home, (85.6% strongly disagree; 5.4% somewhat disagree), while a few of them (5.4%) agreed with this provision (third column of Table 4). Regarding the age requirement for young people to buy marijuana through legal channels, eight-tenths (79.0%) of the respondents opined that the minimum age should be set at 25, while approximately one-fifth (18.8%) set at 21. Those who agreed with the officially proposed age limit of 18 were only a trivial minority (2.2%). (Fourth column of Table 4). Table 4:Respondents Opinions on Controversial Issues Opinions Effectiveness Marijuana Cultivation Age Requirement % % Age % Strongly agree years old 2.2 Somewhat agree years old 18.8 Undecided years old 79.0 Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree N Here, we used hierarchical regression analysis to examine the effects of the abovediscussed factors on the respondents attitudes towards the recreational marijuana legalization. The results shown in Model 2 of Table 3 indicate that perceived effectiveness of legalization, opinions on age requirement and cannabis cultivation had significant effects on attitudes

9 8 towards the recreational marijuana legalization, even when the respondents background characteristics were controlled for. In other words, the effects of these three factors were independent from the respondents age, gender and educational level. Among the three factors, the provision of marijuana cultivation was the most influential one, as it produced the greatest impact on the respondent s attitudes towards the legalization (β =.336). Specifically, the stronger the respondents declined the provision of marijuana cultivation, the less likely they supported the legalization (p <.001). As the second strongest factor, the perceived effectiveness of the legalization had moderate impact (β =.290) and was positively correlated with the legalization (p <.001). In other words, the stronger the respondents did not believe in the effectiveness of the legalization, the less they favoured it. Despite the least impact produced by the opinion on age requirement (β =.208), those respondents who favoured the higher age requirement were more likely to reject the recreational marijuana legalization (p <.001). In essence, these findings strongly suggest that those respondents who rejected the recreational marijuana legalization, probably because they did not accept the argument of the effectiveness of legalization on preventing young people from accessing marijuana, the provision of cannabis cultivation, as well as the age requirement set by the new bill. Strategies to Keep Young People Away from Marijuana The results displayed in Table 5 indicate that the respondents tended to prefer law enforcement approach to educational approach in keeping young people away from marijuana. Close to three-tenths of the respondents (27.7%) considered to strengthen laws to punish those who provide or traffic marijuana to children and youth as the most effective strategy, and approximately one-fifth of them (18.3%) favoured to tighten law enforcement in fighting marijuana trafficking for eliminating illegal marijuana. Yet, only one-tenth of the respondents (10.8%) selected the strategy to enforce strict legal restrictions on the packaging and marketing of marijuana products to discourage its use among children and youth.

10 9 Conversely, a significant minority of the respondents preferred educational and preventive strategies such as to create sustained public health campaigns to clarify the misperception of marijuana and the risk of misuse of marijuana (22.4%) and to enhance current elementary and high school health education curriculum to boost the youths selfesteem and their ability to avoid high-risk situations (11.2%). However, the respondents seemed to neglect the importance of family education, as only a few of them (9.7%) picked to provide family-based education programs to help parents to be supportive and caring and to raise their children to be self-confident, self-determined and self-sufficient as an effective strategy. Table 5:Effective Strategies to Keep Young People away from Marijuana Strategy Frequency Percent Strengthen laws to punish the traffickers Create public health campaigns Tighten law enforcement in eliminating illegal marijuana Enhance current school health education curriculum Enforce legal restrictions on packing and marketing Provide family-based education program N Use of Recreational Marijuana It is not surprising that this study found the incidence of using recreational marijuana among the respondents. Compared to the users in the Canadian society, however, the respondents reported in this on-line survey composed of only a trivial number. The results displayed in the upper section of Table 6 show that less than two percent (1.8%) had used marijuana in the past year, regardless of their frequency. These users were mostly male young adults between 20 and 39, while the overwhelming majority of the respondents (98.2%) had never tried marijuana.

11 10 The results shown in the lower section of Table 6 indicate that when asked if they would use marijuana if it were legalized, a vast majority of the respondents (96.3%) gave a negative answer, while only one percent of them (1.1%) replied affirmatively. Yet, a few of them (2.3%) could not make up their mind, even though some of them had tasted marijuana in the past year. Table 6:Respondents Use of Recreational Marijuana Response Frequency Percent Used last year Frequently Occasionally One or two times Never N Will use when it is legalized Yes, I will Undecided No, I will not N Discussion This study investigated mainly Chinese Canadians attitudes towards the legalization of recreational marijuana and the factors that affect their attitudes. The findings indicate that an overwhelming majority of the respondents rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana, and most of them were female mature adults and seniors. Yet, the education they received did not affect their attitudes. The factors that affect the respondents objection to the legalization are threefold. First, the results strongly suggest that they did not believe in the effectiveness of legalization on keeping young people away from marijuana. The respondents belief is supported by the

12 11 evidence that cannabis legalization has increased the perceived popularity of marijuana among 1, 2, 3 young people and led to greater availability of marijuana to them. Another reason for the respondents disapproval is that most of them disagreed with the age requirement stipulated in the new bill, as they considered that adolescents aged 18 was too young to use marijuana. The Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Paediatric Society echo the respondents opinion that cannabis can cause changes to the brain and may adversely affect the cognitive functioning of young people, as the brain continues its development until about age 25. The provision of cannabis cultivation in the new bill was the strongest cause of discontent, as it produced the greatest impact on the respondents objection to the legalization in the regression analysis. Obviously, cultivating and using cannabis by adults at home would increase the unintended marijuana exposure and acceptability to youth and children, inducing them to follow their parents footstep. 4 In identifying the possible effective strategies for keeping youth away from marijuana, the respondents favoured law enforcement approach more than educational approach. These findings coincide with the heavy penalties, including imprisonment for up to 14 years for providing marijuana to minors aged below 18 as proposed in the new bill, and the government s purpose of reducing the role of criminal organization in the marijuana market. Yet, a significant minority of the respondents preferred educational and preventive strategies. In particular, a strong public education and awareness campaign to counter the misperception of marijuana among young people is more effective than legalization. 5 This finding is in line with the advocacy of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse for creating supportive environments in the home, school and community to prevent cannabis use among youths. 6 Regarding the use of recreational marijuana among Chinese Canadians, only a trivial number of respondents reported that they had used marijuana in the past year, and would use it

13 12 if it were legalized. These findings are probably due to the Chinese social norms that substance abuse is a socially undesirable habit, which causes immense harms to individuals, families and the society. Moreover, as marijuana taking is still not widely accepted in the Chinese community, many of the respondents could be hesitant to reveal their experience and intention of using marijuana. As such, the findings reported here may not depict a full picture of the respondents inclination towards using recreational marijuana. Further research in this area to understand better the Chinese Canadians habit of using recreational marijuana is warranted. In this study, despite the limitations of the non-probability sampling method, the quantity and quality of the data we collected permitted us to use inferential statistical method to analyse the data. The results are reflective of the views of those Chinese Canadians who are concerned about the impact of the recreational marijuana legalization on the Chinese community. As such, these findings could shed some light on the government s drafting of the new legislation with consideration of the well-being of ethnic minorities. If resources allowed, further studies should adopt probability sampling to increase the representativeness of the samples and the applicability of the findings. References 1 Hagler, Don (2017). Marijuana Use: Detrimental to Youth, U.S.A: American College of Pediatricians, retrieved from 2 Schuermever, J., et al. (2014). Temporal trends in marijuana attitudes, availability and use in Colorado compared to non-medical marijuana states: , Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 140: Friese, B. & Grube, J. (2013). Legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use among youths, Drug: Education, Prevention and Policy, 20: Issue 1 WHO (2016). The Health and Social Effects of Nonmedical Cannabis Use, Geneva: WHO Document Production Services.

14 Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (2017). Canadian Youth Perceptions on Cannabis, Canada. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (2013). What Canadian Youth Think about Cannabis, Canada.