Survey of the Quebec Institute of Statistics | The pandemic boosts cannabis use

Quebecers have been consuming more cannabis since 2018, when the Quebec Cannabis Society (SQDC) was inaugurated in the province. The importance of the illegal market has meanwhile considerably decreased, shows a new survey by the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

The pandemic factor

In 2018, 14% of the Quebec population said they had used cannabis in the past 12 months. In 2021, this proportion has increased to 20%. A quarter of Quebec consumers have taken more cannabis “due to the COVID-19 pandemic”, according to the ISQ. “We should not necessarily conclude that legalization was a bad thing, but rather remember that the increase in consumers comes to us from the pandemic”, underlines Jean-Sébastien Fallu, co-director of the book. Cannabis and associate professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal.

The mode of supply changes

Clandestine suppliers, who held 32% of the cannabis market share in 2018, only had 11% in 2021. The vast majority (70%) of marijuana consumers obtain it from the SQDC, and 43% exclusively. “The advantage here is that it’s open all day,” says James Gagnon, 26, met in front of an SQDC on Mont-Royal Avenue in Montreal. He usually smokes three times a day. “The dealers just worked in the evening or at night, and sometimes they are lazy,” he sneers. “Daily consumers are those who have the most advantage of remaining on the illegal market, points out Jean-Sébastien Fallu. They are the ones who consume the most, so they save on volume. »

Better social acceptability

If 48% of the Quebec population considered it “socially acceptable to occasionally consume cannabis for non-medical purposes” in 2018, this figure rises to 63% in 2021. Mr. Fallu is delighted to witness this increase. “One of the extremely harmful aspects of prohibition is that it creates other problems. That is much more toxic than cannabis itself. This statistic tells me that stigma is going down, and that’s a major public health issue. Nina Lisohub, who has never tried cannabis before, also considers this development to be positive. “Me, I come to see what there is”, explains the young woman, also crossed in front of the SQDC. “I’m curious, I’m thinking of buying something very light. It’s nice that there is an official store to do it. »

15-17 year olds, an exception

Notably, 15-17 year olds are the only age group whose consumption has decreased between 2018 and 2021. “It was one of the objectives of federal legalization, recalls Jean-Sébastien Fallu. The Cannabis law aims to make it less accessible to young people. Among all the age groups, the 21-24 year olds are the most represented, with 43% of consumers.

Minimum age of 21, a “huge aberration”

In Quebec, you must be 21 or older to buy cannabis legally. “For me, it’s a huge aberration, denounces Professor Jean-Sébastien Fallu. Quebec is the only place in the world where cannabis is legal, but where the age for obtaining it is not the same as for alcohol. It doesn’t hold up. 35% of 18-20 year olds, who can buy alcohol but not cannabis, were to consume this drug in 2021. that it does exactly the opposite, he continues. They do not take into consideration that young people do not know the THC levels of what they buy on the street, and they ignore possible arrests. It is striking that more than one in three young people are told to go to the illegal market. »

Less harmful than alcohol

Albion Mindwarp, 62, has been smoking cannabis daily since 1971. He was also an alcoholic for 40 years. “Alcohol was killing me,” he confessed in English. But it’s been six years since I’ve had a drink. Marijuana is much better. Relying on the opinion of several experts, Jean-Sébastien Fallu supports this line of thought. “Problematic consumption, physical damage, violence, risk of addiction. Social damage, accident risks, mental health disorders. Conventional wisdom doesn’t agree with this at all, but in terms of harm, alcohol trumps cannabis on every level. »