Ottawa, Ontario: Use of marijuana among Canadians is at all time high levels, according to national survey data released today by the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse (CCSA) in Ottawa. The Canadian Addiction Survey is the first major survey in a decade on the use of alcohol and drugs by Canadians.
Self-reported use of cannabis rose dramatically in the past decade, the survey of 13,909 Canadians found. The percentage of Canadians who reported using marijuana in the past year was 14 percent, up from 7.4 percent in 1994. Among adults, lifetime use of the drug was 44.5 percent, while 70 percent of young people age 18 to 24 reported having used cannabis the highest percentage ever recorded.
NORML Canada Executive Director Jody Pressman said that the dramatic rise in marijuana use coincides with an equally dramatic rise in the criminal enforcement of Canadian marijuana laws thus belying the notion that criminal sanctions deter marijuana use. “Criminal prosecution and enforcement has only led to increased consumption of marijuana,” Pressman said. “Criminalizing use has ruined people’s lives, cost hundreds of millions, and only served to fatten police budgets and the profit margin for organized crime. Instead of perpetuating the failed policies of the past, NORML Canada calls on government to regulate and tax marijuana like beer, wine, and spirits.”
For more information, please contact NORML Canada at (613) 270-0602 or visit: normlcanada.org