Cannabis use on the decline in Quebec: ISQ

The Quebec Statistics Institute says cannabis use declined in Quebec between 2022 and 2023. (Martin Meissner, The Associated Press)

The proportion of Quebecers aged 15 and over who have used cannabis fell between 2022 and 2023, according to data released by the Quebec Statistics Institute (ISQ) on Thursday morning.

Last year, nearly 17 per cent of the population aged 15 and over had used cannabis in the previous 12 months, while this proportion was 19 per cent in 2022.

There has been a decline in all the age groups analyzed.

In the 15-20 age group, the proportion of cannabis users fell from 25 per cent to 23 per cent, and in the 35 and over age group, it fell from 14 per cent to 12 per cent.

The Quebec Cannabis Survey 2023 surveyed 13,200 people between February and July.

The data also show that nearly 73 per cent of 15-17 year-olds who have used cannabis have done so by vaping, compared with 55 per cent of 18-20 year-olds who have used cannabis in the past year.

Nearly half of 15-20 year-olds who have used cannabis in the past year have done so one day a month, and around a quarter have done so one to three days a month.

In a news release, the ISQ points out that even if the frequency is low, "vaping cannabis could be risky among young people, because proportionally fewer of them than older people know the amount of THC contained in the products they vape."

Cannabis vaping products are not available on the legal market in Quebec. The survey data show that 67 per cent of people who vaped cannabis obtained the products from a family member, friend or acquaintance.

A quarter went to a legal source in another province, while 11 per cent obtained their supplies on the illegal market and 23 per cent on the Internet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 11, 2024.

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