Canadian Postsecondary Education Alcohol and Drug Use Survey, 2021-2022: Summary:

Key alcohol findings: Postsecondary students reported consuming alcohol more than any other substance. Nearly half of all students reported heavy drinking, while 1 in 6 were aware of drinking guidelines. Compared to CPADS 2019-20, alcohol-related harms decreased among postsecondary students, as did alcohol consumption. Since the onset of COVID-19, approximately one third of students reported the quantity and frequency of their alcohol consumption decreased, most often due to fewer social gatherings. Among the approximately one third who reported drinking more since the onset of COVID-19, the top reason was boredom.

Detailed alcohol findings

• Eighty-five percent (85%) of students had consumed alcohol in their lifetime; 79% had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, while 64% had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days (decreased from 74% in 2019-20). There were no meaningful differences by gender.
• Among all students, 30% reported drinking once per week or more often in the past 30 days (no meaningful differences between cycles or by gender).
• Among all students, 1 in 6 (17%) had heard of Canada’s 2011 Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelinesⁱ (no meaningful differences between cycles or by gender). Students were asked about the 2011 Guidelines specifically, as these were the ones in place while data was being collected.
• Among students who drank in the past 30 days, the most common alcoholic beverages consumed were spirits and liquors (63%), followed by wine (57%) and beer (51%).
• Forty-five percent (45%) of all students had consumed alcohol in a pattern consistent with heavy drinking in the past 30 days (decreased from 57% in 2019-20). When analyzed by sex, there were no meaningful differences.
• Sixty-four percent (64%) of students who drank in the past 30 days reported feeling drunk at least once over this period (decreased from 74% in 2019-20). When analyzed by gender, there were no meaningful differences.
• Among those who drank alcohol in the past 30 days, men were more likely to report feeling drunk once a week or more (at 23%), compared to women (15%) and individuals identifying as transgender/non-binary (15%).
• Among students who drank alcohol within the past 12 months, 47% experienced at least 1 alcohol-related harm in the past month (decreased from 56% in 2019-20). When analyzed by gender, there were no meaningful differences. Students reported most often that they experienced a hangover (27%), had less energy or felt tired (20%), drank on nights when they planned not to (17%), said or did something embarrassing (16%), or felt sick to their stomach or threw up (14%). Respondents could select more than 1 harm.
• Seventeen percent (17%) of all students reported experiencing at least 1 harm within the past month because of another student’s drinking (decreased from 31% in 2019-20). When analyzed by gender, there were no meaningful differences. The secondary harms most often reported were the need to take care of another student (7%), that their sleep was affected (7%), another student upset or disappointed them (6%), that their studies were interrupted (4%) and that another student caused an argument with them (3%).
• Almost all students (97%) who consumed alcohol in the past 30 days employed protective strategies “always” or “usually” to slow down alcohol consumption, avoid intoxication, and prevent dangerous alcohol-related consequences (no meaningful differences between cycles or by gender).
• Among those who drank in the past 12 months, 11% reported driving within 2 hours of consuming at least 2 drinks (no meaningful difference between cycles). Men (at 15%) were more likely to drive within 2 hours of consuming drinks than women (8%). Fifteen percent (15%) of students reported ever being a passenger with a driver who had recently consumed alcohol.
• Among those who drank in the past 12 months, 40% reported the quantity of alcohol they consumed remained the same since the COVID-19 pandemic, while 30% reported they consumed less alcohol and 30% reported consuming more. Similarly, 37% of students reported consuming alcohol at the same frequency, while 34% consumed less frequently and 28% more frequently.
• The top reasons reported for more alcohol consumption during COVID-19 were boredom (47%), more social gatherings online or at home (43%), lack of a regular schedule (39%), depression/low mood (33%) and stress (32%). The top reasons reported for drinking less alcohol were fewer social gatherings online or at home (79%), trying to save money (16%), living at home with parents (14%), depression/low mood (9%) and lack of a regular schedule (9%).

Key cannabis findings: Overall, prevalence and frequency of cannabis consumption did not meaningfully change among postsecondary students compared to CPADS 2019-20. Cannabis use was notably higher among transgender/non-binary students compared to men and women. In terms of sourcing cannabis, there was a notable increase in the number of students reporting they obtained it from a legal storefront. As for cannabis products of choice, edibles remained the most common type (no notable change between cycles), while use of dried flower/leaf decreased and use of vaping pens and cannabis beverages increased. Among students who used cannabis in the previous 12 months, nearly half reported an increase in both the quantity and frequency of use since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the top reason being boredom. At the same time, there was a notable decrease in students’ awareness of educational campaigns or public health messaging related to cannabis health risks.

Detailed cannabis findings

• In the past 12 months, 43% of students had used cannabis (no meaningful difference between cycles). Past 12-month cannabis use was higher among transgender/non-binary students (55%) than women (43%) and men (42%).
• Twenty-nine percent (29%) of students had used cannabis in the past 30 days (no meaningful difference between cycles). Past 30-day cannabis use was higher among transgender/non-binary students (42%) than women (29%) and men (29%).
• Eight percent (8%) of students consumed cannabis on a daily or almost daily basis (5 or more days per week), with no meaningful difference between cycles. Daily or almost daily use of cannabis in the past 30 days was higher among transgender/non-binary students (14%) than men (8%) and women (7%).
• Among students who had used cannabis in the past 12 months:
  • The most common types of cannabis products used were edibles (62%; no meaningful difference between cycles), dried flower/leaf (60%; decreased from 74% in 2019-20), vape pens (50%; increased from 40% in 2019-20), cannabis oil for oral use (20%; no meaningful difference between cycles) and cannabis beverages (18%; increased from 3% in 2019-20).
  • The top sources to obtain cannabis were from a legal storefront (63%; increased from 34% in 2019-20), from a friend (14%; decreased from 25% in 2019-20), shared among friends (8%; decreased from 14% in 2019-20) and from a legal online source (5%; no meaningful difference between cycles).
• Among students who had used cannabis in the past 12 months, 23% reported that they had driven within 2 hours of smoking or vaporizing cannabis (no meaningful differences between cycles or by gender). Almost a third (29%) of all students reported being a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who recently used cannabis (no meaningful differences between cycles or by gender).
• Among those who reported using cannabis in the past 3 months, scores from the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST - see Key definitions) indicated that 31% were at low risk of health and other problems from their current pattern of use, while 62% were at moderate risk. Eight percent (8%) were at high risk of experiencing severe problems, and likely to have a substance dependence (no meaningful differences between cycles or by gender).
• Students were asked if they had seen or heard education campaigns or public health or safety messages about cannabis in various locations since the Cannabis Act came into force on October 17, 2018. Twenty-one percent (21%) reported that they had not noticed any such campaigns or messages (increased from 7% in 2019-20; no meaningful difference by gender). The most common locations for students to have seen or heard these messages were on social media (58%), at school (41%), publicly displayed posters or billboards (32%), and TV/radio (32%).
• Among students who consumed cannabis in the past 12 months, 79% reported using it in combination with another substance, most commonly with alcohol (75%; no meaningful difference between cycles or by gender), followed by tobacco or an e-cigarette with nicotine (23%; decreased from 42% in 2019-20). Men (28%) reported using cannabis in combination with tobacco or an e-cigarette with nicotine more than women (18%), though there were no meaningful differences between transgender/non-binary students (at 22%) and men or women.
• Among those who had used cannabis in the past 12 months, 47% reported the quantity they consumed had increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 34% reported consuming the same amount, and 18% reported consuming less. Similarly, 46% of students reported consuming cannabis more frequently, while 34% consumed at the same frequency and 20% consumed less.
• The top reasons reported for more cannabis consumption during COVID-19 were boredom (63%), stress (48%), anxiety (48%), depression/low mood (46%), and lack of a regular schedule (43%). The top reasons reported for consuming less cannabis were fewer social gatherings online or at home (44%), anxiety (17%), living at home with parents (16%), trying to save money (13%), and depression/low mood (11%).

Key psychopharmaceutical findings: Overall, psychoactive pharmaceutical use among postsecondary students remains high with more than a third of students reporting use. Some of the reasons for use are unique to this population (for example, using stimulants to help cram for exams).

Detailed psychopharmaceutical findings

• A quarter of students (25%) reported using opioid pain relievers in the past 12 months (no meaningful difference between cycles or by gender).
• Overall, 37% of students used at least 1 opioid pain reliever, stimulant, or sedative in the past 12 months (no meaningful difference between cycles). Transgender/non-binary students (52%) reported higher rates of psychoactive pharmaceutical use than women (41%) and men (32%).
• Among those who had ever used stimulants, 34% had used them in a higher-risk way in the past 12 months (decreased from 60% in 2019-20, no meaningful difference be gender). This was more than higher-risk use of opioid pain relievers (25%) and sedatives (15%).
• Among those who used pharmaceuticals in the past 12 months for reasons other than prescribed, the main reason for each pharmaceutical product was: to help them sleep (opioid pain relievers at 42%; no meaningful difference between cycles), to get high/for the feeling they caused (sedatives at 67%; no meaningful difference between cycles) and to cram for exams (stimulants at 45%; decreased from 56% in 2019-20).
  • Women (50%) and transgender/non-binary students (44%) used opioid pain relievers to help them sleep more than men (32%).
  • Transgender/non-binary students (78%) used sedatives to get high/for the feeling they caused more than men (70%) and women (64%).
  • Men (47%) and women (45%) used stimulants to help them cram for exams more than transgender/non-binary students (16%).

Key illegal drug finding: Approximately 1 in 10 postsecondary students reported illegal drug use, most commonly “party” drugs such as hallucinogens, cocaine, and ecstasy.

Detailed illegal drug findings

• Students were asked if they had ever used or tried any of the following 11 illegal drugs: cocaine or crack; non-prescription amphetamines; methamphetamine; ecstasy or others similar designer/club drugs; hallucinogens; heroin; sniffed glue, gasoline or other solvents; salvia; synthetic cannabinoids; mephedrone; and BZP/TFMPP. Twelve percent (12%) reported using at least 1 of these substances in the past 12 months (no meaningful difference between cycles). By gender, more transgender/non-binary students (19%) reported illegal drug use than women (10%), though there were no meaningful differences between men (at 14%) and women or transgender/non-binary students.
• Among all students, the illegal drugs most reported to be used were hallucinogens (8%), cocaine (4%), and ecstasy or similar designer drugs (3%), with no meaningful differences between cycles. By gender, transgender/non-binary students (at 16%) reported using hallucinogens more than men (10%) and women (6%), with no meaningful differences in use of cocaine or ecstasy or similar designer drugs.

Key smoking and vaping finding: A minority of students reported daily use of cigarettes (at 2%) or vaping/e-cigarette products (8%).

Detailed smoking and vaping findings

• Eight percent (8%) of all students reported any cigarette use in the past 30 days. Daily cigarette use during the past 30 days was reported by 2% of all students (cannot compare cycles; no meaningful differences by gender).
• In these findings, vaping includes both e-liquid with nicotine and without nicotine (just flavouring). E-cigarettes include all e-cigarettes, vape mods, vaporizers, and vape pens. Vaping cannabis is excluded. Seventeen percent (17%) of all students reported any vaping or e-cigarette use in the past 30 days. Daily vaping or e-cigarette use during the past 30 days was reported by 8% of students (cannot compare cycles; no meaningful differences by gender).

Mental health was self-reported by students. Responses of “excellent”, “very good”, and “good” are referred to collectively as “good mental health”. Responses of “fair” or “poor” are referred to collectively as “poor mental health”.

Key mental health findings: Almost half of students reported poor mental health, though this differed by gender. Students with poor mental health were more likely to consume cannabis, stimulants, and sedatives. In comparison to students with good mental health, those with poor mental health were more likely to have increased the amount of alcohol and cannabis they used since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Detailed mental health findings

• Overall, 45% of postsecondary students reported poor mental health. Transgender/non-binary students (77%) reported poor mental health more than women (50%) or men (36%).
• Students with poor mental health were more likely than those with good mental health to report past 12-month use of cannabis (52% vs. 36%), stimulants (15% vs. 8%), and sedatives (15% vs. 5%).
  • Among both women and men, students with poor mental health were more likely to report past 12-month use of cannabis and sedatives. Among women, those with poor mental health were more likely to report use of stimulants than those with good mental health.
• Overall, students with poor mental health were more likely to report increasing the quantity of both alcohol (36%) and cannabis (55%) they consume since the onset of COVID-19 (March 2020) than those with good mental health (24% for alcohol and 38% for cannabis).
  • Men and women with poor mental health were also more likely to have reported increased consumption of cannabis in combination with alcohol since the start of COVID-19 than those of the same gender with good mental health.