Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 87 ADDICTION STATISTICS IN CANADA There is always a risk when you use drugs, but there are steps you can take to be safer. Published by Chris Carberg Last updated: June 16, 2023 Canadian Substance Abuse Statistics An estimated 21% of Canadians, about 6 million people, will meet the criteria for addiction in their lifetime. Key Statistics on Substance Use and Drug Addiction in Canada • More than ⅔ of substance use costs are alcohol or tobacco-related. • Alcohol abuse cost Canada $14.6 billion in 2014 • Tobacco use cost Canada $12 billion in 2014 • Opioid use (oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl) cost Canada $3.5 billion in 2014 • Cannabis use cost Canada $2.8 billion in 2014 Addiction in Canada by Substance Canada’s most commonly abused drugs are alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis. Illegal drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs are also serious issues for Canadians. The following sections are some major statistics for each substance. Alcohol • Alcohol is the most common drug used by Canadians • 249 per 100,000 hospitalizations were entirely caused by alcohol (comparable to the rate for heart attacks which was 243 in 100,000) • Alcohol-caused hospitalizations are 13x higher than for opioids • Alcohol contributed to 22% of all substance-use-related deaths in Canada in 2014 (14,826 deaths) • 15% of Canadians who drink alcohol drink more than recommended by Canada’s Lowrisk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. • Alcohol-related health, law enforcement, and productivity problems cost Ontario at least $5 billion yearly. Nicotine • Smoking is responsible for nearly 17% of deaths in Canada. • 18% of Canadians used a tobacco product in the past 30 days. • 3% of Canadians used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Cannabis • Over 40% of Canadians have used cannabis in their lifetime. • About 15% of Canadians have used cannabis in the past year. • About 32% of Canadians who have used cannabis in the past 3 months reported using it daily or almost daily. Prescription Drug Misuse • 5% of Canadians who reported using psychoactive prescriptions in the past year also reported problematic use. • 12% of Canadians used opioid pain relievers in the past year, and 3% reported problematic use. • Of Canadians who reported past-year stimulant use, 19% reported problematic use. • Of Canadians who reported past-year use of sedatives, 1% reported using sedatives to get high. Illicit Drug Use • An estimated 3% of Canadians have used one of 5 illegal drugs (including cocaine or crack, ecstasy, speed or methamphetamines, hallucinogens, and heroin) in the past year. • Past-year use of at least one of these five illegal drugs was 4% among youth ages 15-19, 10% among young adults ages 20-24, and 3% among adults ages 25 and older. continued
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