cannabisnews.com: Pot is Canadian Drug of Choice, Statscan Says





Pot is Canadian Drug of Choice, Statscan Says
Posted by CN Staff on July 21, 2004 at 08:06:45 PT
By The CTV.ca News Staff
Source: CTV
More than 10 million Canadians have tried cannabis at least once in their life, and that number keeps growing, according to the latest drug use survey conducted by Statistics Canada.Based on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey conducted in 2002, Statscan estimates three million of those used some form of marijuana or hashish that year.
"Nearly half of those who had used cannabis in the previous year had done so less than once a month. About 10 per cent reported they had used it on a weekly basis, and another 10 per cent said they used it daily," the agency said in a statement.Those numbers were up considerably from the agency's last usage survey. Whereas 12 per cent of Canadians used marijuan in 2002, only 7.4 per cent did so in 1994.According to the survey, use of the drug was most prevalent among youth, particularly older teenagers.Close to 40 per cent of 18 and 19 year olds, and approximately 30 per cent of 15 to 17 year olds admitted to using the drug in the past year.Among the latter group, usage patterns were equivalent among males and females. In the rest if the population, however, men were more likely to use the drug.According to the survey, more than 15 per cent of men were admitted users, compared to 9.1 per cent of women.Of the 41 per cent of Canadians the agency says admit to using pot at least once in their life, the proportion would be a slightly lower 32 per cent if one-time users were excluded.While the statistics may portray Canada as a nation of avowed marijuana-lovers, an RCMP report dispels the notion we are a nation of pot-pushers.In their annual assessment of drug seizure statistics, the Mounties said the perception of a pot pipeline running south from Canada is blown out of proportion when compared to the scale of marijuana smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico. Perhaps it's demand that's keeping the Canadian marijuana from heading south. According to Statscan, the numbers of people choosing the nation's second-most popular drug pale in comparison -- an estimated 321,000 Canadians.Source: CTV (Canada)Published: July 21, 2004Copyright: 2004 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. Website: http://www.ctv.ca/Contact: newsonline ctv.ca Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada's Pot Exports Overstated: RCMPhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19206.shtmlWhatcom County is a Pipeline for B.C. Bud http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18896.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 22, 2004 at 22:19:14 PT
breeze
You're welcome. I thought it was interesting too. 
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Comment #6 posted by breeze on July 21, 2004 at 23:25:49 PT
Well- what can I say?
It seems that cannabis is legal, at least for now, in Iraq. Wonder how long that will last?FOM- thanks for the link!!
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 21, 2004 at 21:40:36 PT
Breeze This Might Help With Your Question
IRAQ HASHISH & CANNABIS NEWShttp://www.utopiasprings.com/iqhash.htm
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Comment #4 posted by breeze on July 21, 2004 at 21:32:22 PT
Question about legality of cannabis in Iraq
According to this news article, alcohol is legal in Iraq- but the shops who sell it are frequently bombed by Islamic's whose religous views are against the use of alcohol. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&e=3&u=/chitribts/20040721/ts_chicagotrib/liquorsalesariskytradeinnewiraqI would like to know if cannabis is legal there (in Iraq), apparently opium and heroin is legal in surrounding nations- and if so, what has the "occupation" done to try and make marijuana illegal there- since they haven't done anything about the opium fields, or am I wrong?Does my position make any sense? Or am I just wandering off focus here?
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Comment #3 posted by Kegan on July 21, 2004 at 11:50:10 PT
Pot Is Already Legal
One thing journalists are failing to mention about recent marijuana statistics, is that in 2003 an Ontario court ruled that because Health Canada failed to fix the medical marijuana situation, the law prohibiting the possession of marijuana was "of no force and effect". This meant that pot was, in effect, legal. Several court cases were thrown out because of this event. 
Yet more people were arrested, charged, and convicted in 2003 than in any other year in history. Laws cannot be enforced if they are not on the books, and they cannot be "reinstated" just because another court decides that they can. Once a law dies, it stays dead, until Parliament passes a legislation to reinstate it. 
To many, this means that not only is Health Canada getting away with violating multiple court orders, but police are violating people's constitutional rights and are enforcing laws that don't even exist any more!! 
I also wonder why the Canadian Media fails to investigate this, and still lets this blatant discrimination go unreported. People are being given criminal records for something that isn't even really illegal anymore.
 So much for Canada being a "Just Society".
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Comment #2 posted by escapegoat on July 21, 2004 at 09:36:34 PT
John Walters interview - CKNW 980 Vancouver
July 19, 2004: Peter Warren interviews John Walters, the US drug czar. Afterward, a call-in segment where listeners disagree with his arguments.Listen in mp3 format:http://www.salvagingelectrons.com/drugradio/cknw-warren-20040719-walters.mp3Contact Peter Warren: pwarren cknw.comWeb: http://www.peterwarren.ca
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 21, 2004 at 08:58:41 PT
Canadian Press: Canada Goes To Pot
 
July 21, 2004
 
 
The number of Canadians aged 15 or older who admit to getting high on marijuana or hashish nearly doubled in 13 years, with the highest rates among teenagers, figures released Wednesday by Statistics Canada say.About three million people in that age group reported that they used cannabis at least once in the year before the Canadian Community Health Survey, which was conducted in 2002.The StatsCan study also found more people were taking five other drugs: cocaine or crack, ecstasy, LSD and other hallucinogens, amphetamines (speed) and heroin.Overall, 2.4 per cent of Canadians 15 or older reported using at least one of these drugs in the past year, up from 1.6 per cent in 1994. An estimated 321,000 people – 1.3 per cent – had used cocaine or crack cocaine, making it the most commonly used of these other drugs.When it came to pot and hashish, 6.5 per cent of Canadians reported using the drugs in 1989 and 7.4 per cent in 1994. By 2002, that proportion had reached 12.2 per cent.Almost half (47 per cent) of those who had used cannabis in the previous year had done so less than once a month. About 10 per cent reported that they had used it on a weekly basis, and another 10 per cent reported smoking up daily.Men were more likely than women to report having used cannabis in the past year: 15.5 per cent of men compared with 9.1 per cent of women. The proportion of men was higher in all age groups except 15 to 17, where there was no difference between the sexes.Marijuana and hashish use was most prevalent among young people, and its use peaked in the late teens. Almost four of every 10 teens aged 18 or 19 reported having used marijuana or hashish in the past year. The proportion among 15- to 17-year-olds was about three in 10.Cannabis use drops off after age 24, although numbers in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups were still substantial, the report said.Although most Canadians were not current users of illicit drugs in 2002, more than 10 million reported having tried cannabis at least once in their lifetime. These people represented 41.3 per cent of the population aged 15 or older. Excluding one-time users would drop the proportion to 32 per cent.Again, men were more likely than women to have tried cannabis at least once. Lifetime use was highest among young adults aged 18 to 24, Statscan reported.
 Copyright: 2004 The Canadian Press
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