New data suggests the legalization and marketing of recreational cannabis have increased the number of users in Quebec.
According to a survey published this week by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, one in five people over the age of 15 — 20 per cent of the population — have used cannabis in the past year. By comparison, in 2018 — the year the federal cannabis law came into effect — the rate was 14 per cent.
This increase in the popularity of cannabis is observed across all age groups, except for teenagers aged 15 to 17, where there was a decline from 22 per cent in 2018 to 19 per cent in 2021.
The biggest marijuana users are 21-24 year olds, with 43 per cent saying they used it in 2021. In general, men (23 per cent) are also more likely than women (16 per cent) to use the substance.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken a toll on many people’s mental health by causing anxiety and feelings of isolation, has encouraged further cannabis use. Almost one in four (24 per cent) reported increased use during the crisis.
When the federal Cannabis Act was drafted, the final report from the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation set out several goals, including protecting youth, taking profits out of the hands of criminal groups, and establishing and enforcing a strict system of production, distribution, and sale.
Data suggest these targets remain attainable, especially when it comes to taking control of the production and distribution market, with only 11 per cent of respondents reporting they got their supply illegally in 2021. This represents a significant drop from the 32 per cent of consumers who said they had done so in 2018.
According to the Institut de la statistique report, 70 per cent of consumers were supplied directly from the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) in the past year.
The growth in sales recorded by the SQDC also testifies to the popularity of cannabis, as the first annual report published in 2019 reported sales totalling $71.3 million, with 13 branches.
The following year, the numbers jumped to $311.6 million in sales with a network of 41 branches. Then, in 2021, they surpassed the half-billion mark with sales of $537.2 million with a network of 66 branches.
In addition to having a growing effect on consumption, legalization and the state’s takeover of the supply system have also changed the public’s perception of pot.
While less than half of Quebecers (48 per cent) found it “socially acceptable to use cannabis occasionally” in 2018, nearly two-thirds of the population (63 per cent) now consider this to be true.
-- This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on April 16, 2022.
