What statistics say about pot use in Canada 5 years after legalization

Workers sort plants at Bevo Farms in Leduc, Alta. on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken)

Tuesday marks five years since Canada moved to legalize cannabis.

The Cannabis Act legalized recreational use and sales on October 17, 2018.

Since then, new research from Statistics Canada suggests the number of people using recreational cannabis has grown slightly, as has the number of cannabis-related emergency room visits.

CANADIAN CANNABIS USE

According to Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians over the age of 15 reported using cannabis in 2020, up six per cent from before it was legalized.

The data shows 27 per cent of Canadians reported cannabis use in the past 12 months, up slightly from 22 per cent in 2018.

The study also found 18 to 25 year olds were the most common cannabis users and that use among 15 to 17 year olds had not increased with legalization.

The study indicated the rates of cannabis use stabilized across Canada by 2021, but were highest in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

According to Statistics Canada, some studies suggest that consumption may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but data remains unclear and needs further exploration.

CANNABIS-RELATED EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS

There is evidence that trips to emergency departments and admissions to hospitals have also increased in the half-decade since legalization.

According to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, there was a 20 per cent increase in ER visits associated with cannabis-related disorders among youth in Alberta and Ontario.

Dr. Eddy Lang, department head for emergency medicine at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, says he’s seen an increase in the number of people presenting with symptoms of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), though the numbers remain relatively low.

CHS is a condition where patients using cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids for a prolonged period of time experience severe vomiting, and often abdominal pain, interspersed with prolonged times without symptoms.

"There’s one very unique and particular aspect to it, and that’s that patients manage their own symptoms at home with hot showers before they come to the emergency department. So, that’s unusual, but it’s so commonly true and so characteristics of CHS," he says.

According to a study lead by Dr. Lang in 2020, 0.3 per cent of all ER visits were related to cannabis in four hospitals in Calgary.

He says while CHS is relatively uncommon, it is problematic.

"It results in a lot of emergency department visits, and the patients who come to see us rarely require hospitalization upstairs, but they do spend six to 18 hours with us until we can get them well enough and better to go home – with lots of treatments and fluids required in that time."

While patients with CHS are treated in hospital, Dr. Lang says all patients are told to stop consuming cannabis, which often comes with some pushback.

"There is often a bit of denial that we often encounter when we make that diagnosis and suggest to patients that’s what they are suffering from, because as you know, cannabis also relieves nausea and vomiting, so patients find it often difficult to consolidate that fact that the cannabis actually makes them feel a little bit better, but actually the long term chronic use is what has caused them to the come to the emergency department."

Dr. Lang says a more common disorder he sees is 'cannabis use disorder,' which refers to frequent users who become dependent.

CHANGES NEEDED TO 'SAVE STRUGGLING SECTOR': CANNABIS COUNCIL OF CANADA

The president of the Cannabis Council of Canada is calling on governments to make changes on the five-year anniversary of marijuana legalization, saying the industry can’t be sustained without urgent action.

The council’s survey of licensed producers across Canada found that 83 per cent of producers reported negative net income in 2022.

"After five years of legalization, the regulated cannabis industry is struggling due to high taxes, excessive regulation and unbridled competition from the illicit market. To fulfill the potential of legalization, the sector needs reform urgently," said George Smitherman.

"Growing the pie means more revenue for the cannabis sector and governments and it means extending the protection of the regulated sector to more Canadian cannabis consumers."

The council made three recommendations to governments including changes to taxes, eliminating regulatory fees, and increasing THC limits in edibles to 100 mg.