Pubdate: Thu, 16 Apr 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Helen Branswell

REPORT SUGGESTS DROP IN TEEN MARIJUANA USE

Self-reported data show usage down 15 per cent over a decade in 15 to
17-year-olds

Marijuana use may be down among teens and young adults, a new report
from Statistics Canada suggests.

Younger Canadians are still the biggest consumers of marijuana, with a
third of 18- to 24-year-old respondents reporting they had used
marijuana or hashish in the past year.

But the percentage of teens between the ages of 15 and 17 who reported
having ever used marijuana dropped to 25 per cent in 2012 from nearly
40 per cent in 2002, according to the report, published Wednesday in
the monthly Health Reports.

And the percentage of 15- to 17-year-olds who reported having used
marijuana in the previous 12 months dropped by about 30 per cent over
the 10-year period, said co-author Michelle Rotermann, a senior
analyst with the statistical agency.

As well, the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds who reported having
used the drug at least once fell to about 54 per cent from 62 per cent
over the same time frame.

The report is based on data collected during the 2012 Canadian
Community Health Survey on mental health. Over 25,000 Canadians aged
15 and older responded to the survey; the sample is considered
representative of about 28 million Canadians over the age of 15. The
survey asked respondents if they had ever used marijuana or hashish,
and if they had used either drug in the previous 12 months. The data
are self-reported and not verified. The authors note that means some
respondents may have modified their answers to give what they thought
is a socially acceptable reply. That's a recognized and routine
problem with self-reported data.

More than 49 per cent of males reported having used marijuana at some
point in their life, compared with 36 per cent of females. And daily
use was more common among males; 2.4 per cent of males reported using
marijuana every day, double the percentage of females who reported
daily use.

"That is a fairly consistent finding that we find in all age groups
and ages combined, that use of marijuana is more common among males
than females - and often by 50 per cent," Ms. Rotermann said in an
interview from Ottawa.

The findings also call into question the suggestion that marijuana is
a gateway drug that leads to use of harder drugs. The vast majority of
respondents who said they used drugs such as cocaine or heroin also
reported using marijuana. But most marijuana users reported they had
not used other illicit drugs, either in the past year or in their 
lifetimes.
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MAP posted-by: Matt