Cannabis use for non-medical purposes among Canadians (aged 16+)
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Data over the past 5 years
The Cannabis Act came into force on October 17, 2018 and provides legal access to cannabis and controls and regulates its production, distribution and sale. To help evaluate the impact of the legalization and regulation of cannabis, Health Canada has been conducting the Canadian Cannabis Survey (CCS) to better understand how Canadians view and use cannabis. Key findings on cannabis use for non-medical purposes from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 are presented to examine self-reported changes since legalization and regulationFootnote 1Footnote 2. All results refer to cannabis use for non-medical purposes among Canadians aged 16 years and older.
Dive into the Data
Figure 1. in
Use the map below to discover key cannabis use indicators in CanadaFootnote 3.
Canada
Source: Canadian Cannabis Survey. Results refer to cannabis use for non-medical purposes among Canadians aged 16+.
Figure 1: Text description
| Canada | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Significant change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Significantly different between 2018 and 2022 | ||||||
| ^ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022 | ||||||
Cannabis use and frequencyFootnote 3
More than a quarter of Canadians reported cannabis use in the past 12 months
- Past 12-month cannabis use in 2022 (27%) increased from 2018 (22%) and 2021 (25%).
Figure 2. Cannabis use in the past 12 months, by sex and age group, 2018 to 2022
- * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019
- ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020
- + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021
- ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022
Figure 2: Text description
| Category | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall*^+~ | 22% | 25% | 27% | 25% | 27% |
| Males*^+ | 26% | 29% | 31% | 29% | 30% |
| Females*^~ | 18% | 21% | 23% | 22% | 25% |
| 16-19 years*+ | 36% | 44% | 44% | 37% | 37% |
| 20-24 years*+ | 44% | 51% | 52% | 49% | 50% |
| 25+ years*^~ | 19% | 21% | 24% | 22% | 25% |
| * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019 | |||||
| ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020 | |||||
| + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021 | |||||
| ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022 | |||||
Past 30-day cannabis use
- Past 30-day cannabis use in 2022 (19%) increased from 2018 (15%) and 2021 (17%)
- In 2022, past 30-day use remained higher among males (21%, an increase from 19% in 2018) than among females (16%, an increase from 11% in 2018)
- In 2022, past 30-day use remained higher among Canadians aged 16-19 years (25%, unchanged from 23% in 2018) and 20-24 years (36%, an increase from 30% in 2018) than among people age 25+ (17%, an increase from 13% in 2018)
Frequency of daily or almost daily cannabis use remained unchanged
- 25% of Canadians who reported using cannabis in the past 12 months reported using cannabis daily or almost daily in 2022, unchanged from 25% in 2018, and unchanged between 2021 (26%) and 2022
Average age of initiation increased
- Overall, average age of initiation increased from 18.9 years in 2018 to 20.5 years in 2022 and remained stable between 2021 and 2022
- In 2022, average age of initiation for males (19.9 years) and females (21.2 years) was higher when compared to 2018 (18.5 and 19.2 years, respectively)
- In 2022, average age of initiation amongthe 3 age groups (16-19 years, 20-24 years, and 25+ years) was higher (15.9, 17.4, and 21.1 years, respectively) when compared to 2018 ( 15.2, 16.8, and 19.3 years, respectively)
Cannabis consumption method and sources
While consuming cannabis by smoking decreased, it remained the most common consumption method
- Smoking cannabis in 2022 (70%) decreased from 2018 (89%) and 2021 (74%)
- Eating/drinking cannabis increased from 43% in 2018 to 56% in 2022 and remained stable between 2021 and 2022
- Vaping cannabis increased from 33% in 2018 to 36% 2021 and remained stable between 2021 and 2022
More Canadians purchased cannabis for non-medical purposes from a legal storefront
- In 2022, 61% of those who used cannabis in the past 12 months indicated their usual source of cannabis was a legal storefront, an increase from 52% in 2021
- In 2022, 8% of those who used cannabis in the past 12 months indicated a legal online source as their usual source of cannabis, a decrease from 11% in 2021
Average monthly spending on cannabis in the past 12 months decreased from 2018
- The amount typically spent per month decreased from $73 in 2018 to $65 in 2022 and was unchanged between 2021 ($69) and 2022 ($65)
Knowledge and attitudes
In both 2021 and 2022, 9 out of 10 Canadians felt cannabis use can be habit forming
- * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019
- ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020
- + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021
- ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022
Figure 3: Text description
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall* | 82% | 90% | 90% | 89% | 89% |
| People who used cannabis (past 12 months)*^ | 71% | 87% | 93% | 93% | 91% |
| People who did not use cannabis (past 12 months)*+ | 85% | 91% | 89% | 88% | 89% |
| * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019 | |||||
| ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020 | |||||
| + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021 | |||||
| ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022 | |||||
Increased perception that smoking and vaping cannabis regularly carries moderate or great risk
- Overall, perceived risk of vaping cannabis regularly increased from 70% in 2018 to 75% in 2022 and remained unchanged between 2021 and 2022
- Overall, perceived risk of smoking cannabis regularly increased from 72% in 2018 to 74% in 2022 and remained unchanged between 2021 and 2022
- * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019
- ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020
- + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021
- ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022
Figure 4: Text description
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoking*^~ | 40% | 46% | 50% | 50% | 53% |
| Eating* | 34% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 39% |
| Vaping*^ | 38% | 43% | 54% | 55% | 56% |
| * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019 | |||||
| ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020 | |||||
| + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021 | |||||
| ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022 | |||||
Driving and cannabis use
In 2022, 82% of Canadians believed cannabis use impairs one's ability to drive
- Among those who used cannabis in the past 12 months, this belief increased from 61% in 2018 to 76% in 2022 and was unchanged between 2021 (78%) and 2022
Although a decrease from 2018, more people in the past 12 months were passengers in a vehicle driven by someone who had recently used cannabis
- Overall, being a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who recently used cannabis decreased from 13% in 2018 to 10% in 2022 but increased between 2021 (7%) and 2022
- Among those who used cannabis in the past 12 months, being a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who recently used cannabis decreased from 44% in 2018 to 26% in 2022 but increased between 2021 (21%) and 2022
Fewer people operated a vehicle after cannabis use in the past 12 monthsFootnote 4
- Overall, driving a vehicle after cannabis use decreased from 27% in 2018 to 18% in 2022 and remained stable between 2021 (16%) and 2022
- * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019
- ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020
- + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021
- ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022
Figure 5: Text description
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males*^+~ | 33% | 28% | 24% | 20% | 24% |
| Females^ | 18% | 18% | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 16-19 years | 22% | 17% | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| 20-24 years* | 28% | 20% | 19% | 18% | 19% |
| 25+ years^+ | 27% | 25% | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| * Significantly different between 2018 and 2019 | |||||
| ^ Significantly different between 2019 and 2020 | |||||
| + Significantly different between 2020 and 2021 | |||||
| ~ Significantly different between 2021 and 2022 | |||||
Additional resources
- Canadian Cannabis Survey 2018 - Summary
- Canadian Cannabis Survey 2019 - Summary
- Canadian Cannabis Survey 2020 - Summary
- Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021 - Summary
- Canadian Cannabis Survey 2022 - Summary
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
-
Tests for statistical significance compared data between pairs of years (e.g., 2018/2022 and 2021/2022). Results from this approach do not necessarily reflect overall trends for the 5 year period.
- Footnote 2
-
All reported increases and decreases in the text are statistically significant changes unless it is stated that the percentage is “unchanged”. At times the text may state that the difference is unchanged, even though the numbers are not identical. This occurs when the difference between numbers is not statistically significant. In graphs and tables, statistical significance is indicated by a symbol. For additional details about the survey and methodology, refer to 2018 Canadian Cannabis Survey, the 2019 Canadian Cannabis Survey, the 2020 Canadian Cannabis Survey, the 2021 Canadian Cannabis Survey and the 2022 Canadian Cannabis Survey.
- Footnote 3
-
When recruited, respondents were informed that the survey was about cannabis. This may have created a participation bias, where people who use cannabis may have been more likely to complete the survey. For this and other methodological reasons, the CCS prevalence estimates for cannabis use may be higher than reported in other Canadian population level surveys.
- Footnote 4
-
The question regarding driving after cannabis use changed from 2018 to 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2018 the question only asked if the person drove within 2 hours of any cannabis use. In 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 two questions were asked: drove within 2 hours of smoking/vaping cannabis and drove within 4 hours of ingesting cannabis. In order to compare 2018 responses to those in 2022, questions were combined to capture driving within 2 hours of smoking/vaping and/or within 4 hours of ingesting cannabis.