Pubdate: Thu, 16 Apr 2015
Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.therecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225
Author: Helen Branswell
Page: A10

POT USE AMONG TEENS, YOUNG ADULTS ON WANE?

StatsCan data comes from self-reported survey

TORONTO - 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 coauthor 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, especially about behaviours
society may frown on.

More than 49 per cent of males reported having used marijuana at some
point in their life, compared to 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 reporting daily
use.

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. Some other findings:

In 2012, 12 per cent of respondents reported using marijuana in the
previous year, and 42.5 per cent reported having used it during their
lifetime.

Residents of British Columbia (15 per cent) and Nova Scotia (16 per
cent) reported more past-year use than the national average, while
Saskatchewan residents reported less, 10 per cent.

Two per cent of people said they use marijuana daily and three per
cent said they used it at least weekly.

Marijuana use was more common among city dwellers than among people
who lived in rural Canada.
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MAP posted-by: Matt