In Canada: Why are so many people smoking more and more cannabis

In times of such fast connections and shallow emotions, maybe we should pay more attention to what the statistics don't say so explicitly: what leads us to light up the first joint? And the second? And when it becomes daily, almost ritualistic?

In Canada, a country that legalized adult cannabis use in 2018, the numbers show an expanding scenario. More people consuming, more people consuming frequently  and, with that, a growing urgency to understand what is behind these data.

A portrait that changes over time

The curves of cannabis consumption in recent years do not follow a straight line. Between highs and lows since the late 1970s, the data show that periods of greater liberalization of public policies coincide with increased use, both in the United States and Canada.

In Canada, for example, consumption in the last 12 months increased from 9.1% of the population in 2011 to 32.4% in 2023. A leap that cannot be ignored. And although legalization has brought advances in regulation and access, it has also brought with it the need to better understand how, why, and how much is being used.

Daily use is no longer the exception

Perhaps the most striking data is not just how many people are using cannabis, but how many are using it daily, or almost daily.

According to the Canadian Substance Use Survey, 25.4% of cannabis users reported daily or near-daily use in 2023. That's about 2.8 million people. In Ontario, this percentage is even more precise: 8.6% of the province's adult population used cannabis daily in the last three months of last year.

Meanwhile, daily alcohol use (around 10.3%) remains stable, without the peaks that cannabis has shown. This indicates that, although cannabis has not yet surpassed alcohol in overall prevalence, the profile of its users is changing and changing rapidly.

More access, more use: the impact of legalization

There is no escaping it: legalization directly impacts people's behavior. With medical use authorized from the 2000s and adult use legalized in 2018, Canada has become a real social laboratory to observe consumption patterns in real time.

The data show that, instead of stabilizing, use continued to grow even after legalization. This points to a phenomenon that goes beyond access: it is about cultural normalization, about consumption that has come to be seen in a different light, more naturalized, less marginalized.

The urgency of looking at public health

More people using more frequently means greater collective responsibility. Cannabis is not a harmless substance, especially when used regularly and without supervision.

Comparing it with alcohol helps to understand the context: although alcohol is still much more consumed, intensive cannabis users are numerically approaching high-risk alcohol consumers. This requires proactive public policies, educational campaigns, and, above all, empathy.

Behind the numbers, there are people, stories, contexts, pains, reliefs, and routines. Some find in cannabis a way to relax, others seek relief for chronic symptoms and daily stresses, and there are also those who use it just because it is accessible.

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