Work in an office long enough and concepts like boozy lunches or work-sponsored afternoon happy hours can become part of the routine as much as anything else. The thought process is you can have a buzz on and still adequately finish your work. Well, it appears cannabis users in legal states have taken that notion and ran with it.
According to a new poll from DHM Research and funded by marketing communications firm Quinn Thomas, one in four marijuana users have admitted to getting high at work. One in four consumers have also gotten high before work, though the survey doesn’t specific if these are the same one in four users. The survey polled 300 people each from Washington, Colorado, and Oregon to create a representative sample of 900 cannabis users, reports the Seattle Times.
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“There is a lot of information out there about the cannabis industry and its regulatory structure, but not much is known about consumers,” Zach Knowling, vice president at Quinn Thomas, told the Seattle Times. “We felt our experience researching and reaching unique audiences could build greater understanding of who they are.”
With legalization, it seems that marijuana has entered into the mainstream. Indeed, the survey data show that recreational-cannabis consumers look pretty much like the average American. They are a close match to the U.S. average for household income and educational attainment. In the three states that were surveyed, pot users match the general population breakdowns in terms of race and ethnicity, age, political-party affiliation and other demographic factors.
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The survey also found that 79 percent of users still found marijuana has a lingering social stigma attached to it, while only half admit to openly disclosing their marijuana use to friends and family. In addition, a quarter of users said they used cannabis as an alternative for alcohol. A majority of participants said the two most common reasons they use cannabis is to reduce pain and to reduce stress/anxiety.
However, those who participated also emphasized a need for more clear and reliable information around safe cannabis use. Around half of survey respondents said they trusted their dispensary retailer for that while only 38 percent would trust their health care provider to relay such information.
