SICPA/Harris Poll Study Verifications of product safety

A new nationwide study commissioned by SICPA North America, a leading provider of regulatory compliance solutions, shows overwhelming support among cannabis users for more in-depth information about the products they may use. The poll was conducted online by The Harris Poll among 2,056 U.S. adults. Key study results include:

• Nearly three in five cannabis users (58%) (defined as those who have ever used cannabis products) say they don’t know how to determine which cannabis products are worth consuming and which are not, likely given the myriad of product options in the marketplace.
• More than four in five cannabis users, or 83%, support requiring cannabis retailers to provide verified certificates to consumers to validate that their products have been legitimately tested for safety and potency.
• Four in five cannabis users (80%) say it is important to them to have a way to verify the safety of a cannabis product before using it. 
• Almost four in five cannabis users (78%) say it would be important to them to be able to validate whether a cannabis product has ever been recalled prior to making a purchase. 
  
   

“Cannabis users clearly crave a greater depth of information about the safety of cannabis products, whether they’re using flower, concentrates, edibles, tinctures or topical products,” said Karen Gardner, Chief Marketing Officer at SICPA US. “The desire among consumers for more safety information about the cannabis products they consume aligns with SICPA’s survey last fall that showed a broad appetite for secure, tamper-proof labeling of cannabis products to provide assurance that cannabis products are legitimate and safe.”

When it comes to improving social equity in the industry, the survey also shows large support exists for buying cannabis products from historically disadvantaged businesses, with 63 percent of cannabis users in support of buying cannabis products from groups who have been historically disadvantaged, such as people of color, women, veterans or small businesses, over buying from groups who have not. Social equity has been a priority for cannabis legalization and licensing in many states, with some states creating programs to provide reduced fees and mentoring to encourage historically disadvantaged groups to enter the market. New York, for example, which legalized cannabis in 2021, has set a goal of having 50 percent of licenses go to minorities and other social equity applicants. 

Similar to the growing interest in organic products in the food industry, the SICPA survey also shows significant support for organic products; more than three in four (77%) cannabis users would rather buy cannabis products that are developed with organic principles, over ones that are not.

The SICPA survey also measured cannabis use among Americans, finding that 50 percent of Americans have used cannabis products at some point in time, with more than 1 in 3 (36%) stating they’ve used cannabis products in the past 12 months, and 13 percent saying they consumed cannabis products for the first time in the past 12 months. This is the second SICPA-The Harris Poll survey on cannabis; the first poll, released in Fall 2021, showed broad support among Americans for securely labeling cannabis products to verify their legitimacy and safety in the marketplace.   

Survey Method
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of SICPA between January 11-13, 2022 among 2,056 adults ages 18+, among whom 1,022 have ever used cannabis products. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected] .

About The Harris Poll 
The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.  To learn more, please visit www.theharrispoll.com.