Staff
The overall smoking rate in Canada in 2013 was 15%, the lowest national smoking rate ever recorded, finds the 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey (CTADS).
Over the 14 years that the federal government has been surveying Canadians on this issue, smoking rates have decreased from a high of 25% in 1999.
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The survey also finds the following:
- 3% of respondents reported smoking little cigars in the past 30 days, the majority of whom said they most commonly smoked flavoured little cigars;
- past-year cannabis use among Canadians age 15 and older was 11%; among teens, the rate increased to 22%, and among young adults, the prevalence rate was highest at 26%;
- cannabis use among Canadians ages 15 to 19 is down nearly 10% since 2008;
- overall, 9% of Canadians reported having ever tried an e-cigarette; among youth and young adults, this number jumps to 20%; and
- in 2013, 22% of Canadians age 15 and older indicated they had used a psychoactive pharmaceutical in the past year, and among these users, 2% reported they abused such a drug; rates of reported abuse were higher for youth and young adults compared with adults age 25 and older.
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The CTADS is a national general population survey of tobacco, alcohol and drug use among Canadians age 15 and older, with a focus on 15- to 24-year-olds.
More than 14,500 Canadians were interviewed for the survey, conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of Health Canada.
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