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Cannabis users don’t like pesticides: survey

Published on April 24, 2026 by Pat Bulmer

Photo: Adobe Stock/the oz.

A U.S. survey says 72% of consumers are “very concerned” about pesticides in their cannabis products.

“People want cannabis they can trust, and many are turning to home cultivation to take control over quality and safety,” said Shai Ramsahai, president of Royal Queen Seeds, which commissioned the third annual homegrown survey.

“Blindly buying products just because of a high THC percentage is a fading trend,” he said. “People want cannabis they can trust, and many are turning to home cultivation to take control over quality and safety.”

Obviously, Royal Queen Seeds has an ulterior motive here — selling its seeds to home growers — but, still, the results are interesting.

The survey, conducted online March 17-19 by The Harris Poll, found two-thirds of cannabis consumers said they would choose cannabis grown without pesticides even if it has lower THC.

Sixty-one per cent of Americans aged 21 or over support the legal right to grow pot at home.

More Americans aged 21+ are consuming cannabis now than were doing so two years ago (43% up from 39% in 2024).

Seventy-six per cent of cannabis consumers prefer the “high” of cannabis over the “buzz” of alcohol.

Twenty-three per cent said they use cannabis for enjoyment only; the remainder cite at least some health/wellness benefits.

Thirty-nine per cent of Americans aged 21+ said they would be more impressed if someone brought home-grown weed to a dinner party than a bottle of expensive wine.

Men are more likely to consume cannabis than women (47% vs. 38%).

The survey polled 2,017 adults aged 21 and older, 851 of whom were cannabis consumers. The sample data is accurate to within 2.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level, the pollster said.