Substance use and addiction is something that affects the majority of Canadians in one way or another. Due to the way society and the justice system views people that struggle with substance abuse there can be a lot of inaccuracies with statistics that are reported. There is a number of people who are not comfortable with disclosing if they use substances or what substances they do use. There is also a lot of barriers to the surveys such as homelessness, or only providing phone interviews, that government agencies conduct to gather the information for their statistics which also affects the results. The following are the most recent results that are available. The top 6 current addictions in Canada are alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, opioid and prescription drugs (Moore, 2021)

Statistics are based on the results of phone interviews with 10,293 Canadians from all 10 provinces. These interviews represent 31 million Canadians over the age of 15. (15.3 million males and 15.7 million females (Canada, 2021).

  • 21% of Canadians experience addiction
  • 76% or 23.7 million Canadians reported consuming alcohol in the past year.
  • 78% of males, and 75% of females reported consuming alcohol in the last year
  • Prevalence of alcohol use in the last year was highest among young adults aged 20-24 at 84%, with adults over 25 at 78%, and youth aged 15-19 at 46%
  • The percentage of youth 15-19 consuming alcohol in the last year dropped 11% from 2017. The other age groups remain relatively unchanged.

(Canada, 2021)

  • 21% of Canadians reported cannabis use in the last year. 23% of males, and 19% of females.
  • Cannabis use was reported the most in young adults aged 20-24 at 45% compared to adults over 25 at 19% and youth aged 15-19 22%

(Canada, 2021)

  • Psychoactive Pharmaceutical use was reported by 23% of Canadians over the age of 15.
  • 27% of females reported psychoactive pharmaceutical use compared to 19% of males.
  • Prevalence among youth 15-19 was lower at 15% compared to young adults 20-24 at 27% and adults over 25 at 23%
  • 7% of Canadians that reported psychoactive pharmaceutical use in the last year reported problematic use. 9% of males and 6% of females.
  • The reported problematic use over the last year was highest among young adults aged 20-24 at 20% compared to adults 25 or older at 6%.
  • There are 3 classes of Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals: Opioid Pain Releivers, Stimulants and Sedatives
  • Opioid Pain Relievers are most used by Canadians 15 or older at 14%
  • Opioid Pain Reliever use in the last year was higher among females a 16% compared to 12% of males.
  • 1% of all Canadians 15 years or older engaged in problematic use
  • Stimulants are defined as doctor prescribed such as Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine which are commonly used to treat ADHD
  • 2% of Canadians over the age of 15 reported stimulant use
  • There was no difference of the percentage of males or females
  • Stimulant use was reported the most by young adults age 20-24 at 9% while youth 15-19 was at 5% and adults over 25 at 1%
  • 1% of Canadians over 15 reported problematic use
  • 11% of Canadians 15 or older reported using sedatives
  • 14% of females and 7% of males
  • Sedative use was lowest among the age range of 15-19 at 3%, higher for adults 25 or older at 11% and highest among young adults 20-24 at 12%
  • 3% of Canadians reported problematic Sedative use

(Canada,2021)

  • Use of six illegal drugs (cocaine/crack, methamphetamine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, heroin and salvia) was reported by 3% of Canadians
  • 4% of males and 3% of females
  • 14% of young adults 20-24, the percentage of adults over 25 and youth 15-19 was the same at 3%

(Canada, 2021)

(Canada, 2021)

Government of Canada. (2021, December 20). Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CADS): summary of results for 2019. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canadian-alcohol-drugs-survey/2019-summary.html

Moore, J. (2021, December 12). Statistic on Addiction in Canada. Calgary Dream Centre. https://calgarydreamcentre.com/statistics-on-addiction-in-canada/