Five years after its legalization, the consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes remains stable in the country, reveals a Health Canada study published Friday.
The 2023 edition of the Canadian Cannabis Survey, which Health Canada has conducted annually since 2017, indicates in particular that a quarter of Canadians over the age of 16 (26%) reported having used cannabis for non-medical purposes in over the last 12 months.
This proportion was roughly the same last year (27%). It stood at 22% in 2018, the year of the adoption of the Cannabis Act, which regulated the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across the country.
The majority of respondents (57%) said they consumed three days per month or less, while 15% reported daily consumption.
It is those aged 20 to 24 who consume the most cannabis: almost half (48%) say they have used this drug in the last year. Young people aged 16 to 19 are also significant consumers, in a proportion of 43%. Among those over 25, recreational use of cannabis drops to 23%.
It should be noted that the average age at which people try cannabis for the first time has been increasing since 2018. At that time it was 18.9 years old, while in 2023 it would be 20.8 years old.
One in ten Canadians (10%) reported using cannabis for medical purposes, a drop of three percentage points from 2022. This use was used to combat sleep problems or insomnia (45%), chronic pain (33%) and anxiety (31%).
While smoking remains the most widely used method (60% of consumers do so), the use of edible products and vaping are nevertheless increasing sharply.
The ingestion of edible cannabis increased from 41% in 2018 to 54% in 2023. The use of a cannabis vape increased from 16% to 34%.