Abstract
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Background
The Canadian federal government has committed to legalizing non-medical cannabis use by adults in 2018. Medical use was legalized in 2001; however, not all people reporting medical use have medical authorization. To prepare for monitoring the effects of the policy change, a greater understanding of the prevalence of cannabis use and the characteristics of all cannabis users is needed.
Data and methods
Data from the 2015 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) were used to estimate prevalence and examine reasons for medical use and factors associated with people who reported using cannabis Non-Medically Only (NMO), compared with people who reported Self-Defined Medical and Non-Medical use (SDMNM), including use of other drugs and the non-therapeutic use of psychoactive pharmaceuticals.
Results
In 2015, 9.5% of Canadians aged 15 and older reported NMO cannabis use, while another 2.8% reported SDMNM use. Half of Canadians reporting some self-defined medical use cited pain as the primary reason. Daily and near-daily use was significantly more common among SDMNM users (47.2%) than among individuals considered NMO users (26.4%). Past-year cannabis users of any type were more likely to be male and younger, to have used other illicit drugs and at least one of three classes of psychoactive pharmaceutical drugs non-therapeutically, and to be daily smokers or heavy drinkers. SDMNM cannabis use was more common among people reporting worse health (general and mental), use of psychoactive pharmaceuticals, and living in lower-income households.
Interpretation
Because non-medical cannabis use is common to both user groups analyzed, many similarities were anticipated. Nevertheless, SDMNM users also had several unique characteristics consistent with use to address medical problems. However, because the CTADS does not collect information about whether the individual has received a health care practitioner’s authorization to use cannabis for a medical purpose this analysis should not be interpreted as an evaluation of people who access cannabis through Health Canada’s medical access program, the Access Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR).
Keywords
controlled drugs, illegal drug, marijuana, substance use
Findings
The Canadian federal government has committed to legalizing, regulating and restricting the non-medical use of cannabis by adults in 2018. To prepare for this change, Statistics Canada has been adapting the national statistical system to measure the social and economic impacts of legalized cannabis, in addition to undertaking various analytical projects. Since 2001, medical access to cannabis has been available in Canada. High-quality scientific evidence on cannabis use continues to expand, demonstrating the benefits of cannabis for a variety of medical purposes, including as a treatment for chronic pain in adults, as well as other research demonstrating its physical and mental harms, such as risks of dependency and the induction or worsening of severe psychiatric illnesses (schizophrenia), particularly among frequent users, long-term users, and youth. [Full Text]
Authors
Michelle Rotermann (michelle.rotermann@canada.ca) is with the Health Analysis Division and Marie-Michèle Pagé is with the Special Surveys Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Start of text box
What is already known on this subject?
- Cannabis remains the most widely used illicit drug in Canada.
- Cannabis use has been associated with adverse effects, including dependency.
What does this study add?
- This study uses the most recent national data available to examine the similarities among, and the differences between, Canadians who reported exclusively non-medical use of cannabis (NMO) compared with Canadians who reported at least some self-defined medical use in addition to non-medical use (SDMNM).
- Past-year cannabis users of any type were more likely to be male and younger, to have used other illicit drugs and at least one of three classes of psychoactive pharmaceutical drugs non-therapeutically, and to be daily smokers or heavy drinkers.
- SDMNM cannabis use was more common among people reporting worse general and mental health, as was use of psychoactive pharmaceuticals, and living in lower-income households.
- Daily and near-daily use was considerably more common among SDMNM cannabis users than among NMO users.
End of text box
- Date modified: