The post Canadian Cannabis Consumption Doubles appeared first on High Times.
Apparently, Canadians love weed. According to a new survey, the number of people who consume cannabis in Canada has risen steadily over the past 30 years or so. Now, as Canadian cannabis consumption doubles, the country must figure out how to finally make good on its promise to legalize weed in 2018.
More Canadians Smoke Weed Than Ever Before
Statistics Canada published the report. In it, the agency looked at a number of health surveys from 1985 through 2015 in an effort to identify trends in cannabis use. Who are the biggest consumers? Teens? Moms? Everyone in between?
Researchers found that in 1985, around 5.6 percent of Canadians 15 and older consumed weed. That number had more than doubled in 2015, climbing to as high as 12.3 percent.
Along with these numbers, the report highlighted other important trends. For example, although the surveys used in the new study included everyone 15 years old and up, cannabis use among young people has remained more or less stable.
More specifically, cannabis use among men aged 15 to 17 stayed the same between 2004 and 2015. During that same time, consumption actually dropped among women in the same age group.
Similarly, fewer people between the ages 18 and 24 smoked weed during those 11 years. It was adults 25 and older that drove the spikes in overall cannabis use.
It’s important to note that although weed still hasn’t been legalized in Canada, the years included in this report were marked by a growing acceptance of cannabis. This included a number of provinces and cities working to decriminalize and in some cases legalize weed.