British Columbians are satisfied with how the province has managed its part in the legalization of cannabis in the six months since the laws changed, but feel it can go one step further with drug testing at work, according to a new poll.

The poll, administered by Vancouver-based Research Co., suggests most people in B.C. (79 per cent) were satisfied with the government’s decision to establish 19 years as the legal age to purchase, sell or consume marijuana and restrict smoking to areas where tobacco is allowed.

Sixty per cent of respondents said employers should now be able to administer drug testing to any employee. Residents over the age of 55 strongly supported this idea (68 per cent).

WorkSafeBC does not require testing for cannabis or other drugs, but says it may be part of an employer’s “impairment-management strategy.”

According to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, employers in Canada cannot require drug testing for all employees, but some testing “in limited and specific circumstances” is allowed, such as for employees who operate heavy equipment.

Overall, 63 per cent of British Columbians agree that cannabis should be legal, with the biggest support in northern B.C. and on Vancouver Island, while 29 per cent said they disagree.

One in 20 people (six per cent) say they used cannabis in Canada only after it become legal.