Canada: the rise in cannabis use concerns only those aged 65 and over

Almost a year later legalization, Canada is taking an interest in cannabis use in the country. New Data from the National Cannabis Survey (NCS), conducted by Statistics Canada, help mitigate the Review of the First Quarter of Legalization.

Cannabis Use Among People Aged 65 and Older

Canadians aged 65 and older are the only age group to report slightly higher rates of cannabis use following legalization, among both men and women. Data from the quarterly survey showed that 5% of seniors reported having used cannabis, compared with 3% last year. Results from the most recent quarter showed that 4% of these seniors reported having used it recently.

«More than 6 million Canadians suffer from arthritis, and many of them are over 65,» said Kelly Gorman, director of public policy and government affairs at the Arthritis Society of Canada. «They are looking for ways to relieve their pain.»

Men Spend More Than Women

Men (21%) were nearly twice as likely to have used cannabis in the first half of 2019 as women (12%). This was true for all age groups, with the exception of those aged 65 and older. Nearly three in five women reported never having used cannabis (59%), compared with just over half (51%) of men. Men (8%) were also twice as likely to report daily or nearly daily use as women (4%). In addition, one-quarter of men (25%) compared to 16% of women believe they will use cannabis in the next three months.

Just over one-fifth of men aged 15 and older reported having used cannabis during the first half of 2019. More than half of these men (52%) reported using cannabis exclusively for non-medical purposes, while about 30% used it for both medical and non-medical purposes. About one in eight women (12%) reported using cannabis in the first half of 2019. The reasons given were roughly evenly divided among the categories «non-medical only,» «medical only,» or «both.».

What They Consume and How

Smoking cannabis remains the most common method of use, as approximately two-thirds of male users (68%) and female users (62%) preferred this method in the first half of 2019. Women (14%), however, are more likely than men (5%) to use cannabis through other methods, such as applying products to the skin or under the tongue.

Just over three-quarters of Canadians who reported using cannabis during the first half of 2019 used dried cannabis (flower/leaf) (77%), while 26% used edibles. Canadians also reported using other types of products, such as liquid concentrates (20%), cannabis oil cartridges or vaporizer pens (19%), and hashish or kief (16%). Women (23%) were nearly twice as likely as men (12%) to report using only products other than dried cannabis (flower/leaf). Other products include edibles, cannabis oil cartridges, and vaporizers.

Methods of Obtaining Cannabis

Men are more likely to buy cannabis, while women are more likely to obtain it from family and friends. In general, men and women obtain cannabis from the same sources, but with one notable difference: a relatively larger proportion of women (42%) than men (33%) report that their friends and family are their source of cannabis.

Three-quarters of Canadians (76%) who used cannabis in the first half of 2019 cited quality and safety as important factors when purchasing cannabis, while 42% primarily considered price. About one-third also said that accessibility, location (near home), and product availability were important factors.

Nearly half of cannabis users (48%) reported purchasing at least some of their cannabis from a legal source, such as a legally licensed retailer or an authorized online seller. Just over 4 in 10 cannabis users (42%) reported purchasing at least some of their cannabis from illegal sources, such as a drug dealer, while more than one-third (37%) reported using cannabis obtained from friends or family. Legal cannabis remains, on average, 80% is more expensive than the one obtained on the black market.

These figures help complete the study on the profile tomorrow's cannabis users.