Pubdate: Mon, 15 Apr 2013
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2013 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Ann Hui
Cited: http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc11_eng.pdf

CANADIAN TEENS LEAD DEVELOPED WORLD IN CANNABIS USE: UNICEF REPORT

Teenagers in Canada use cannabis more than any other developed
country, according to a new study released by Unicef.

The report released last week shows that 28 per cent of 15-year-olds
admitted to having used cannabis in the past year. The figure comes
from a World Health Organization (WHO) study conducted in 2009, which
surveyed teenagers across 29 developed nations, including more than
15,000 in Canada.

This is the second time in a row that the WHO study has ranked
Canadian teenagers as the highest cannabis users, though the
percentage of teens itself has dropped. In 2002, the same survey
showed that 37.5 per cent of 15-year-olds in Canada had used cannabis
in the past year.

"They feel it's not a drug, that it's not harmful, it's not going to
hurt me," said John Westland, a social worker in the adolescent
substance abuse program at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. "Part of it
is probably because it's smoked and not injected - they don't see it
as a chemical since it's not a pill," he said. "They see it as
natural, not man-made."

He added that, from what he's heard from the teenagers he speaks with
in Toronto, ease of access may be another reason why Canada is ranked
so high. "It doesn't matter which school you go to. You can go to a
public school, a private school, a religious school - I've seen
patients from all those," he said.

"They can access it from school, they can get it from their older
siblings. It doesn't have to be a stranger on the corner."

Still, the 28-per-cent figure from the WHO sounds high, he said. He
questioned the report's methodology, saying self-reported surveys such
as this one can be misleading, especially when comparing different
countries where teenagers face differing levels of repercussions for
admitted drug use. He cited a 2011 survey by the Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health that showed the number of teenagers from grade 7
through grade 12 in Ontario who had used cannabis is slightly lower,
at 22 per cent.

Unicef Canada's president David Morley said he was "shocked" by
Canada's ranking of cannabis use, especially given that the same
survey showed that Canadian teens had a relatively low smoking rate (4
per cent). "Here we are amongst the best at smoking and exercise and
healthy eating and stuff," he said. "But we're at the bottom for this?"

Michel Perron, CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, sees
Canada's ranking as a potential symptom of "mixed messages" over
cannabis in recent years. He said that discussions over medical
marijuana and decriminalization "gives rise to confusion among young
people - 'is this drug good or bad, is it legal, is it illegal?"

He added that the high number may also speak to a generational shift,
with the parents of young people today possibly having been cannabis
users in their own youth. "There's a different relationship than, say,
if you rewind 20 years ago between parents and the youth," he said.

Cannabis use is only allowed in Canada for medical purposes and with a
doctor's approval. According to Health Canada, cannabis can be
addictive, and long-term use can lead to breathing problems, cognitive
impairment and an increased risk of psychosis or schizophrenia.
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MAP posted-by: Matt