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Cannabis Use Twice as High Among Younger Canadians, Survey Shows

Cannabis Use Twice as High Among Younger Canadians, Survey Shows

Younger Canadians are more than twice as likely to use cannabis compared to those aged 45 and older, according to Statistics Canada's annual survey on cannabis use released today.

Survey Findings

The survey revealed that 38.4% of Canadians aged 18 to 24 used cannabis in the past year. Among those aged 25 to 44, 34.5% reported using cannabis. This number drops significantly to 15.5% for Canadians aged 45 and older. Younger consumers also tend to use cannabis more frequently:

  • 8.7% of those aged 18 to 24 reported daily or almost daily use.
  • 10.3% of those aged 25 to 44 reported similar frequency.
  • Only 4.8% of those aged 45 and older reported daily or almost daily use.

Gender Differences

Among adults 45 and older, daily cannabis use was more common among men (6%) than women (3.6%). However, no significant gender differences were found in adults under 45.

Product Preferences

The survey found that dried leaf or flower (62.1%) and edibles (57.1%) were the most popular cannabis products across all age groups. Younger users were more likely to use vape pens, cartridges, extracts, concentrates, beverages, dried leaf, and edibles. Older users preferred topicals and oral oils.

For those aged 25 and older:

  • Dried leaf or flower was used by 70.2% of men and 48.4% of women.
  • Edibles were more popular among women (62.7%) than men (51.9%).

These gender differences were not observed among the 18 to 24 age group.

Legal Market and Pricing

Since the Cannabis Act was passed in 2018, legal cannabis sales have included dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, oils, plants, and seeds, with subsequent expansion to extracts, edibles, and topicals. High excise taxes have been a contentious issue, with a $1 per gram tax often exceeding the intended 10% of the product price due to lower market prices.

Statistics Canada reported that legal cannabis cost consumers 65% more than black-market products in 2019, encouraging some to continue purchasing unlicensed products. The industry has lobbied for changes to the excise tax structure, arguing that the flat-rate tax is unfair given the current market prices.

Shift to Legal Sources

Despite these challenges, the survey indicated that 71.7% of cannabis users exclusively purchased from legal sources in the past 12 months. The primary reasons for choosing legal cannabis were:

  • Product safety (38%)
  • Convenience (16.9%)
  • Desire to follow the law (12.9%)

Cannabis consultant Deepak Anand noted that while the black market persists, there has been a positive shift towards legal channels.