Wastewater-based Estimates of Cannabis and Drug Use in Canada: Pilot test Detailed Results

Legalization of cannabis production, sale, and use in Canada on October 17, 2018 serves as the context for the implementation of the largest wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) pilot test conducted to date in North America (covering 8.4 million people) and the first by a national statistical agency. Wastewater samples were collected in five large urban centres across Canada over the period March 2018 to February 2019. In addition to presenting the results by month and by city for certain drugs, this document presents preliminary estimates of total use of cannabis, methamphetamine, and cocaine.