Health Canada releases new data on cannabis use in Canada

Canada NewsWire

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 6, 2024

The 2024 Canadian Cannabis Survey provides important insights into Canadians' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours on cannabis use

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 6, 2024 /CNW/ - An important part of the Government of Canada's public health approach to legalizing and strictly regulating cannabis is ongoing and comprehensive surveillance, data collection and evidence gathering. The results from the annual Canadian Cannabis Survey provide a snapshot of public health and public safety data on cannabis in Canada.

Today, Health Canda published the 2024 Canadian Cannabis Survey (CCS) results. The data was collected from April 4^th to July 2^nd, 2024.

Since 2017, Health Canada has conducted the annual Canadian Cannabis Survey to better understand attitudes and knowledge regarding cannabis, as well as patterns of cannabis use in Canada. Through the information gathered, Health Canada can better understand where support is needed the most and develop program initiatives that will help educate and raise awareness around the use of cannabis.

Findings from the 2024 survey include:

The proportion of people in Canada who report smoking cannabis continues to decline. That said, smoking remains the most common method of consuming cannabis (69%), followed by eating (57%) and vaporizing with a vape pen or e-cigarette (37%).
The number of respondents who reported getting cannabis from a legal source in 2024 was 72% – an increase from 37% in 2019 to 72% in 2024, with legal storefronts being the most common source since 2019. A smaller proportion reported accessing cannabis through illegal sources (3%) compared to 2019 (16%).
18% of people who had used cannabis in the past 12 months reported driving after cannabis use, a significant decline from 27% in 2018.
There was no change in rates of cannabis use among youth (age 16-19) over the past year. Past 12-month cannabis use among youth aged 16-19 was 41%, similar to several previous years (44%, 44%, and 43% in 2019, 2020 and 2023 respectively).
Overall, the proportion of respondents who said they used cannabis and reported daily, or almost daily use has been stable since 2018 (approx. 25%), including among youth (approx. 20%).
The percentage of people in Canada who said they use cannabis who are 'at high risk' of developing problems from cannabis use has remained stable since 2018 (approx. 3%).

Health Canada has made significant investments to educate youth and young adults about the health risks of cannabis, as they are at an increased risk of experiencing adverse effects from cannabis use since the brain continues to develop up until around the age of 25. These efforts include the Spring 2022 Reduce your risk: Choose legal cannabis public education campaign, the Prevention of Accidental Paediatric Cannabis Poisonings among Children campaign in Spring 2023, and the Pursue Your Passion: A Teen Cannabis Education Program, which was re-launched in March 2023 as a virtual program to educate youth and young adults about the health effects of cannabis. The department has also produced public education material that emphasizes the importance of storing cannabis securely away from children and pets.

Quick facts

The 2024 CCS results are based on online responses from approximately 11,666 respondents aged 16 years of age and older across all provinces and territories.
Data were collected across seven themes:
- knowledge, attitudes and opinions;
- cannabis use and products used;
- sources and purchasing;
- assessment of higher-risk cannabis use;
- accidental consumption and adverse reactions;
- driving and cannabis;
- cannabis for medical purposes.
In addition, the 2024 survey collected data on new topics, including:
- ease of access from legal and illegal sources;
- recall of specific health warning messages;
- use of pre-rolled and infused joints, and
- types of edibles people are consuming.

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SOURCE Health Canada (HC)