Pubdate: Thu, 16 Apr 2015
Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Prince George Citizen
Contact:  http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350
Author: Helen Branswell
Page: 40

MARIJUANA USE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE MAY BE ON DECLINE

TORONTO - A new report from Statistics Canada suggests marijuana use
may be down among teens and young adults.

The survey shows 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 people between the ages of 15 and 24 who
reported having ever used marijuana dropped between 2002 and 2012.

And the percentage of 15- to-17-year-olds who reported having used
marijuana in the previous 12 months declined when 2012 responses were
compared to those of the 2002 survey.

The report is based on data collected during the 2012 Canadian
Community Health Survey on mental health.

More than 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.

Respondents were asked if they had ever used marijuana or hashish, and
if they had used either drug in the previous 12 months.

The data show that marijuana is more popular among males than females.
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
who reported 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 like 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