Current and Proposed Policies
Does this location/your community have a no smoking policy?
Forty-three percent of participants reported that they did not know if a no smoking policy existed at the location they were surveyed or in their community; this was highest among those surveyed in parks (46%) and in the community (46%), followed by schools (42%), businesses (41%), other public locations (e.g., bus stops and libraries; 37%), and apartments (35%) (Figure 1).
What needs to be done?
When participants were asked about what needs to be done regarding cannabis/marijuana public smoking, many expressed needs for:
(1) More laws, regulations, and enforcement (e.g., make more laws/rules to regulate, enforce a law firmly not to smoke in prohibit public smoking areas by a law enforcement, enforce a no smoking signs, more police presence).
(2) Putting up signs (e.g., make signs visible, put up larger signs, more signs, signs that say “No Smoking Cannabis/Marijuana”).
(3) Having designated smoking areas (e.g., designated areas so the public is not exposed to, having designated places to smoke and not allowing it everywhere).
(4) Education and awareness (e.g., more awareness of the dangers, more education in schools, let people know how it affects themselves)
Surprisingly, many participants expressed feelings of frustration because cannabis/marijuana is now legal. They simply didn’t know what could be done or felt like there was nothing they could do or change because cannabis/marijuana use has been legalized (see the Word Cloud below based on the text analysis of all comments).
Figure 2. Text Analysis: The Most Common Word/Phrases in the Comments for “What can be done”
Note: The size of words or phrases indicate the frequency of the words or phrases used in the comments participants provided.
