CASE STUDY

BRIEF

The Community Development Department of the County of Prince Edward required the provision of accurate scientific polling regarding resident attitudes to having “legal and tightly regulated cannabis retail stores” available in Prince Edward County.

The timing was tight as a final decision from all municipalities in Ontario was due within 8 weeks.

ACTION

• Developed, fielded and analyzed a scientifically accurate RDD (random digit dialing) study; providing as representative and scientific a read on the core question as possible within an existing Council-approved budget
• Made this study multi-dimensional to bring insight to this representative read on the key query. Questions regarding attitudes to cannabis legalization in general, perceived economic impact of cannabis retail in PEC, past and current cannabis usage, expected impact on purchase venue for cannabis, as well as, key demographics were all part of the survey – allowing for statistically-driven contextual understanding of the results.

RESULTS

• The results and recommendations from this scientifically accurate RDD study were central to a final, almost unanimous, decision by the PEC Council to opt-in formally for cannabis retail locations in The County.
• This was one of the first scientifically accurate surveys funded by the municipality in over 15 years and opened the door for more important representative study of the evolving population of this important region.
• Cannabis retail locations and production facilities exist and thrive today in the County, and provide local, safe, and responsible options for the sizeable portion of residents and visitors who are occasional or regular users.