Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS): summary of results for 2022
Table of contents
- Introduction
- Cigarette smoking
- Other tobacco products
- Vaping
- Perceived risk of harm
- Provinces
- Alcohol use
- Cannabis use
- Substance use across socio-demographic characteristics
- Substance use across self-reported general and mental health, and disability status
- Reference information
Introduction
The Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS) 2022 measures the prevalence of cigarette smoking, vaping, cannabis, and alcohol use among Canadians aged 15 years and older. CTNS is conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of Health Canada.
Understanding Canadian trends in tobacco, nicotine, cannabis, vaping and alcohol use is vital to the effective development, implementation and evaluation of national and provincial strategies, policies and programs.
The following summary presents findings based on nine weeks of data collection for the fourth cycle of CTNS, which commenced November 30, 2022, and ended January 31, 2023. The results for CTNS 2022 are based on responses to an electronic questionnaire or telephone follow-up interviews from 12,133 respondents across all 10 provinces, representing a weighted total of 32 million Canadian residents aged 15 years and older. A set of detailed tables and some definitions used in this report are also provided.
All reported "differences" in the text below are statistically significant. The words "statistically significant" will not be used to allow for more readable text.
One of the key factors affecting tests for statistical significance is the size of the sample or subgroup. This means that for smaller subgroups such as youth (aged 15-19 years) or young adults (aged 20-24 years), the difference needed for statistical significance is much larger than the difference needed in a larger sample such as adults (aged 25 years and older) or the Canadian population (aged 15+ years).
All reported CTNS 2022 statistics in the text below refer to November 30, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The dates of data collection will not be repeated to allow for more readable text.
The terms "vape" and "vaping" in CTNS refers to the use of e-cigarettes, vape mods, vaporizers and vape pens for vaping e-liquid with nicotine and/or without nicotine (i.e., just flavouring). Cannabis vapes are excluded.
It should be noted that where numbers of individuals are provided along with prevalence in rounded brackets, these numbers are estimates.
All prevalence estimates are accompanied by a 95% confidence interval in square brackets, which may be used to assess the quality of the estimate. A 95% confidence interval (CI) provides a range of values in which the estimated prevalence will fall 95% of the time (i.e., if the survey was repeated 20 times, the results would fall within this range 19 of those times, or 19 times out of 20).
Given that the non-binary population is small, individuals in this category are distributed into the other two gender categories, in order to protect the confidentiality of responses. The category "men" includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons, while the category "women" includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons. "
Men+: This category includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons
Women+: This category includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons.
Cigarette Smoking
Current Cigarette Smoking
The prevalence of current cigarette smoking among Canadians aged 15 years and older in 2022 was 10.9% [95% CI: 10.1, 11.7] (3.5 million), unchanged from 2021. A higher percentage of men (12.9 [95% CI: 11.6, 14.1] or 2.0 million) than women (9.1% [95% CI: 8.1, 10.0] or 1.5 million) reported current smoking. In 2022, 8.2% [95% CI: 7.5, 8.9] (2.6 million) of Canadians reported daily smoking and 2.7% [95% CI: 2.3, 3.1] (871,000) reported occasional smoking. A higher percentage of men (9.1% [95% CI: 8.0, 10.3] or 1.5 million) than women (7.3% [95% CI: 6.4, 8.2] or 1.2 million) reported daily smoking.
Youth Cigarette Smoking (Aged 15 to 19 Years)
In 2022, the prevalence of current cigarette smoking among youth aged 15 to 19 years was 4.2% [95% CI: 3.4, 5.1] (89,000), unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of daily and occasional smoking among youth was 1.0% [95% CI: 0.6, 1.5] (22,000) and 3.2% [95% CI: 2.4, 3.9] (67,000), respectively.
Young Adult Cigarette Smoking (Aged 20 to 24 Years)
In 2022, the prevalence of current cigarette smoking among young adults aged 20 to 24 years was 7.7% [95% CI: 6.5, 8.9] (185,000), a decrease from 2021. The prevalence of current smoking was higher among young adult men (9.6% [95% CI: 7.7, 11.5] or 121,000) than women (5.6% [95% CI: 4.1, 7.0] or 64,000).
Among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, the prevalence of daily and occasional smoking was 2.6% [95% CI: 1.8, 3.3] (62,000) and 5.1% [95% CI: 4.1, 6.1] (123,000), respectively. The prevalence of daily smoking was higher among young adult men (3.5% [95% CI: 2.3, 4.7] or 44,000) than young adult women (1.5% [95% CI: 0.7, 2.3] or 18,000).
Adult Cigarette Smoking (Aged 25 Years and Older)
In 2022, the prevalence of current cigarette smoking among Canadian adults aged 25 years and older was 11.7% [95% CI: 10.8, 12.7] (3.2 million), unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of current smoking was higher among adult men (13.8% [95% CI: 12.3, 15.3] or 1.9 million) than adult women (9.8% [95% CI: 8.6, 10.9] or 1.4 million).
Among adults aged 25 years and older, the prevalence of daily smoking and occasional smoking was 9.3% [95% CI: 8.4, 10.1] (2.6 million) and 2.5% [95% CI: 2.0, 2.9] (681,000), respectively. The prevalence of daily smoking was higher among adult men (10.3% [95% CI: 9.0, 11.6] or 1.4 million) than adult women (8.3% [95% CI: 7.2, 9.3] or 1.2 million).
Smoking Cessation
In 2022, the prevalence of former smoking was 23.2% [95% CI: 22.1, 24.3] (7.4 million) among Canadians aged 15 years and older, unchanged from 2021. Among those who reported former smoking, 4.2% [95% CI: 3.2, 5.3] (315,000) had quit less than one year ago, 5.6% [95% CI: 4.3, 6.9] (420,000) had quit between 1 and 2 years ago, 9.8% [95% CI: 7.8, 11.7] (726,000) had quit between 3 and 5 years ago, and 80.4% [95% CI: 78.1, 82.6] (6 million) had quit over 5 years ago.
The most popular cessation methodsFootnote 1 used by those who reported current smoking or quitting smoking within the past 12 months who made at least one quit attempt in the past 12 months was "[trying] to quit on [their] own, without special preparation or help" (62.4% [95% CI: 56.7, 68.0] or 851,000), "[reducing] the number of cigarettes [they] smoked" (39.5% [95% CI: 33.6, 45.5] or 539,000), switching to vaping (28.2% [95% CI: 23.2, 33.3] or 419,000), and "[using] nicotine replacement products" (26.3% [95% CI: 21.3, 31.3] or 375,000).
Among Canadian aged 15 years and older who reported daily smoking, 31.4% [95% CI: 27.3, 35.6] (822,000) had made at least one quit attempt lasting 24 hours in the past year.
Other Tobacco Products
Use of Any Tobacco Product
The survey asked about past-30-dayuse of tobacco products including cigarettes, little cigars or cigarillos, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and water-pipe tobacco.
In 2022, 12.9% [95% CI: 12.0, 13.8] (4.1 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using at least one tobacco product in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of past-30-day use of at least one tobacco product was 6.2% [95% CI: 5.2, 7.3] (130,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 10.7% [95% CI: 9.3, 12.1] (256,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 13.6% [95% CI: 12.6, 14.6] (3.7 million) among adults 25 years and older, all unchanged from 2021.
Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, past-30-day use of at least one tobacco product was higher among men (16.2% [95% CI: 14.8, 17.6] or 2.5 million) than women (9.7% [95% CI: 8.7, 10.7] or 1.5 million). The prevalence of past-30-day use of at least one tobacco product among young adult men aged 20 to 24 years (13.6% [95% CI: 11.4, 15.8] or 168,000) was higher than among young adult women (7.7% [95% CI: 5.9, 9.4] or 88,000). The prevalence of past-30-day use of at least one tobacco product among adult men aged 25 years and older (17.1% [95% CI: 15.5, 18.8] or 2.3 million) was higher than among adult women (10.2% [95% CI: 9.0, 11.4] or 1.4 million).
Cigars
In 2022, 2.4% [95% CI: 2.0, 2.8] (770,000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported smoking any type of cigarFootnote 2 in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of smoking any type of cigar in the past 30 days was 2.6% [95% CI: 2.0, 3.2] (54,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 3.3% [95% CI: 2.5, 4.1] (79,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 2.3% [95% CI: 1.9, 2.8] (636,000) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, smoking any type of cigar was higher among men (3.7% [95% CI: 3.0, 4.5] or 584,000) than women (1.2% [95% CI: 0.8, 1.5] or 186,000).
In 2022, 1.7% [95% CI: 1.4, 2.1] (543,000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported smoking little cigars or cigarillos in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of smoking a little cigar or cigarillo in the past 30 days was 1.9% [95% CI: 1.4, 2.4] (40,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 2.2% [95% CI: 1.5, 2.8] (52,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 1.7% [95% CI: 1.3, 2.1] (452,000) among adults aged 25 years and older.
Pipes
In 2022, 0.3% [95% CI: 0.1, 0.4] (93,000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using a traditional pipe to smoke tobacco in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021.
Chewing Tobacco
In 2022, 0.6% [95% CI: 0.4, 0.8] (185,000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using chewing tobacco in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021.
Water-pipe Tobacco
In 2022, 0.6% [95% CI: 0.4, 0.8] (180,000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using a water-pipe to smoke tobacco in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021.
VapingFootnote 3
In 2022, 18.2% [95% CI: 17.2, 19.1] (5.8 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older had ever vaped. The prevalence of ever vaping was 30.0% [95% CI: 28.0, 31.9] (631,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 47.5 % [95% CI: 45.3, 49.7] (1.1 million) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 14.7% [95% CI: 13.6, 15.8] (4.0 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, 20.4% [95% CI: 18.9, 21.9] (3.2 million) of men had ever tried vaping, which was higher than women (16.0% [95% CI: 14.7, 17.2] or 2.6 million).
In 2022, 5.8% [95% CI: 5.2, 6.3] (1.8 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported vaping in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, past-30-day vaping was higher among men (6.5% [95% CI: 5.7, 7.4] or 1.0 million) than women (5.0% [95% CI: 4.3, 5.7] or 810,000).
The prevalence of past-30-day vaping remained unchanged at 13.6% [95% CI: 12.2, 15.0] (286,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years. Among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, the prevalence of past-30-day vaping increased from 17.2% [95% CI: 15.5, 18.9] (414,000) in 2021 to 19.7% [95% CI: 17.9, 21.5] (476,000) in 2022.
The prevalence of past-30-day vaping remained unchanged at 3.9% [95% CI: 3.4, 4.5] (1.1 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among adults aged 25 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day vaping was 13.5% [95% CI: 10.5, 16.4] (435,000) among those who currently smoke, 5.6% [95% CI: 4.3, 7.0] (411,000) among those who formerly smoked, 1.4% [95% CI: 0.9, 1.9] (239,000) among those who never smoked.
Among Canadians aged 15 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days, 33.5% [95% CI: 28.9, 38.1] (619,000) reported current smoking, 26.9% [95% CI: 22.4, 31.5] (498,000) reported former smoking and 39.5% [95% CI: 35.0, 44.1] (730,000) reported never smoking. Those who reported never smoking made up over two-thirds of youth aged 15 to 19 years who reported past-30-day vaping (68.9% [95% CI: 63.6, 74.2] or 197,000) and over half of young adults aged 20 to 24 years who reported past-30-day vaping (61.8% [95% CI: 56.8, 66.8] or 294,000). Those who reported current and former smoking made up most adults aged 25 years and older who reported past-30-day vaping (78.0% [95% CI: 71.2, 84.7] or 846,000).
Among Canadians aged 15 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days, 78.2% [95% CI: 73.8, 82.5] (1.4 million) reported vaping an e-liquid containing nicotine, 20.5% [95% CI: 15.7, 25.3] (313,000) reported vaping an e-liquid that did not contain nicotine, and 6.4% [95% CI: 3.7, 9.1] (94,000) reported vaping an e-liquid with unknown content over the same time period.Footnote 4
Vaping Flavours, Sources, and Reasons for Use
Among Canadians aged 15 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days, 53.4% [95% CI: 48.7, 58.2] (981,000) reported using a fruit flavour most often, 15.5% [95% CI: 12.2, 18.8] (285,000) reported using a mint or menthol flavour, and 8.2% [95% CI: 5.4, 11.0] (150,000) reported using a tobacco flavour. More than half of youth aged 15 to 19 years (63.1% [95% CI: 57.5, 68.7] or 178,000) and young adults aged 20 to 24 years (59.6% [95% CI: 54.5, 64.8] or 282,000) reported using a fruit flavour most often. Among adults aged 25 years and older, just under half (48.1% [95% CI: 40.4, 55.9] or 520,000) reported using a fruit flavour most often.
The survey asked Canadians who used a vape in the past 30 days where they usually get their vaping devices.Footnote 5 Among Canadians aged 15 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days, 75.3% [95% CI: 71.2, 79.4] (1.4 million) reported using retail sources to get their vaping devices. Retail sources included vape shops, convenience or gas, supermarkets, grocery stores, drug stores, and online sales. Among youth aged 15 to 19 years who used a vape in the past 30 days, 48.4% [95% CI: 42.9, 53.9] (136,000) reported using social sources to get their vaping devices. Social sources included buying from a friend or family member, asking someone else to buy them for you, and having a friend or family member give or lend them to you. Additionally, 21.7% [95% CI: 17.4, 25.9] (102,000) of young adults aged 20 to 24 years and 17.4% [95% CI: 11.0, 23.8] (187,000) of adults aged 25 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days reported using social sources to obtain their vaping devices.
The survey also asked Canadians who used a vape in the past 30 days where they usually get their vaping liquids.Footnote 6 Among Canadians aged 15 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days, 74.5% [95% CI: 70.4, 78.7] (1.4 million) reported using retail sources to get their vaping liquids. Among youth aged 15 to 19 years who used a vape in the past 30 days, 41.4% [95% CI: 35.9, 47.0] (118,000) reported using social sources for their vaping liquids. Additionally, 19.2% [95% CI: 15.0, 23.3] (89,000) of young adults aged 20 to 24 years and 13.0% [95% CI: 7.3, 18.6] (138,000) of adults aged 25 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days reported using social sources to obtain their vaping liquids.
Among Canadians aged 15 years and older who used a vape in the past 30 days, the most common reasons for vaping were to reduce stress (21.7% [95% CI: 17.9, 25.4] or 397,000), for smoking cessationFootnote 7 (18.8% [95% CI: 14.7, 22.8] or 344,000), and because they are curious (17.5% [95% CI: 13.8, 21.1] or 320,000). The most common reasons for vaping among youth aged 15 to 19 years who used a vape in the past 30 days were to reduce stress (30.5% [95% CI: 25.3, 35.7] or 87,000), for curiosity (27.0% [95% CI: 22.0, 32.0] or 77,000), and because they enjoy it (22.9% [95% CI: 18.2, 27.7] or 65,000). Among young adults aged 20 to 24 years who used a vape in the past 30 days, the most common reasons for vaping were to reduce stress (33.1% [95% CI: 28.2, 38.1] or 157,000) or because they enjoy it (24.9% [95% CI: 20.7, 29.2] or 118,000), while among adults aged 25 years and older, the most common reasons were smoking cessation (27.6% [95% CI: 20.9, 34.4] or 297,000) and to avoid returning to smoking (16.0% [95% CI: 10.5, 21.5] or 172,000).
Vaping Cessation
In 2022, 42.4% [95% CI: 35.6, 49.2] (398,000) of Canadians aged 15 years and older who reported daily vaping made at least one quit attempt lasting 24 hours in the past year. The majority of youth aged 15 to 19 years (59.9% [95% CI: 52.2, 67.6] or 82,000) and young adults aged 20 to 24 years (61.8% [95% CI: 55.1, 68.6] or 151,000) who reported daily vaping made at least one quit attempt in the past 12 months. The proportion of adults aged 25 years and older who reported daily vaping that made at least one quit attempt in the past year was 29.6% [95% CI: 18.8, 40.4] (165,000).
Perceived Risk of Harm
The survey asked Canadians, in their opinion, how harmful using vaping devices with nicotine were to a person's health compared to smoking cigarettes. The majority of Canadians aged 15 years and older thought that using a vaping device with nicotine was either "about the same as cigarettes" in terms of harm (33.5% [95% CI: 32.3, 34.8] or 10.7 million) or didn't know (31.7% [95% CI: 30.5, 32.9] or 10.1 million). Among Canadians who used a vape in the past 30 days, the majority thought using a vaping device with nicotine was either "much less harmful than cigarettes" (24.1% [95% CI: 19.7, 28.5] or 443,000) or "somewhat less harmful than cigarettes" (28.5% [95% CI: 24.2, 32.9] or 524,000). Among Canadians who reported smoking in the past 30 days, the majority either didn't know how harmful using a vaping device with nicotine was in comparison to cigarettes (32.1% [95% CI: 28.2, 35.9] or 1.1 million) or thought that using a vaping device with nicotine was "about the same as cigarettes" in terms of harm (29.4% [95% CI: 25.7, 33.0] or 1.0 million).
Provinces
The prevalence of current smoking among those aged 15 years and older ranged from a low of 8.7% [95% CI: 6.8, 10.7] in British Columbia to a high of 15.8% [95% CI: 12.4, 19.3] in New Brunswick.
Past-30-day use of at least one tobacco product (cigarettes, cigars, little cigars or cigarillos, chewing tobacco, water-pipe and pipe) among those aged 15 years and older ranged from a low of 9.8% [95% CI: 7.7, 11.8] in British Columbia to a high of 17.5% [95% CI: 13.9, 21.0] in New Brunswick.
Past-30-day vaping among those aged 15 years and older ranged from a low of 4.7% [95% CI: 3.6, 5.8] in British Columbia to a high of 7.8% [95% CI: 5.6, 10.0] in Manitoba.
Alcohol Use
In 2022, 62.6% [95% CI: 61.3, 63.9] (20.1 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported using alcohol in the past 30 days, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of using alcohol in the past 30 days was 36.1% [95% CI: 34.1, 38.1] (761,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 65.7% [95% CI: 63.5, 67.8] (1.6 million) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 64.4% [95% CI: 62.9, 65.8] (17.7 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, past-30-day alcohol use was higher among men (65.3 [95% CI: 63.5, 67.1] or 10.4 million) than women (60.0% [95% CI: 58.3, 61.8] or 9.7 million).
The survey also asked about heavy alcohol use, referring to having four or more drinks on one occasion (at the same time or within a couple hours of each other). In 2022, 49.4% [95% CI: 48.1, 50.7] (15.8 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported heavy alcohol use in the past 12 months. The prevalence of heavy alcohol use in the past 12 months was 34.6% [95% CI: 32.6, 36.6] (729,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 62.3% [95% CI: 60.1, 64.5] (1.5 million) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 49.4% [95% CI: 48.0, 50.9] (13.6 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, past-12-month heavy alcohol use was higher among men (54.2% [95% CI: 52.3, 56.0] or 8.6 million) than women (44.8% [95% CI: 43.1, 46.6] or 7.2 million).
Cannabis Use
Smoking Cannabis
In 2022, 39.5% [95% CI: 38.3, 40.7] (12.7 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported ever smoking cannabis, unchanged from 2021. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of ever smoking cannabis was higher among men (41.8% [95% CI: 39.9, 43.6] or 6.6 million) than women (37.2% [95% CI: 35.5, 39.0] or 6.0 million). The prevalence of ever smoking cannabis was unchanged among youth aged 15-19 years at 20.1% [95% CI: 18.4, 21.8] (424,000), and adults aged 25 years and older at 40.2% [95% CI: 38.8, 41.6] (11.1 million). There was an increase in ever smoking cannabis among women aged 25 years and older (37.5% [95% CI: 35.6, 39.5], 5.3 million). Among young adults aged 2024 years, the prevalence of ever smoking cannabis decreased to 48.4% [95% CI: 46.2, 50.7] (1.2 million). This decrease was seen both among men and women.
Smoking cannabis in the past 30 days was reported by 10.4% [95% CI: 9.7, 11.2] (3.3 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of smoking cannabis in the past 30 days was 10.6% [95% CI: 9.4, 11.9] (224,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 22.5% [95% CI: 20.6, 24.4] (542,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 9.4% [95% CI: 8.5, 10.2] (2.6 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Daily use among young adults aged 20-24 years decreased to 6.9% [95% CI: 5.7, 8.0] (165,000). Among Canadians 15 years and older, 12.6% [95% CI: 11.4, 13.8] (2.0 million) of men reported smoking cannabis in the past 30 days, which was higher than women (8.3% [95% CI: 7.4, 9.3] or 1.4 million).
Vaping Cannabis
In 2022, 12.3% [95% CI: 11.5, 13.1] (3.9 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older reported ever vaping cannabis, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of ever vaping cannabis was 13.9% [95% CI: 12.5, 15.4] (294,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 28.7% [95% CI: 26.7, 30.8] (693,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 10.7% [95% CI: 9.8, 11.6] (2.9 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among Canadians 15 years and older, the prevalence of ever vaping cannabis was higher among men (13.9% [95% CI: 12.6, 15.1] or 2.2 million) than women (10.7% [95% CI: 9.6, 11.8] or 1.7 million).
Vaping cannabis in the past 30 days was reported by 5.0% [95% CI: 4.5, 5.6] (1.6 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older, unchanged from 2021. The prevalence of vaping cannabis in the past 30 days was 7.1% [95% CI: 6.0, 8.2] (149,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 13.0% [95% CI: 11.5, 14.5] (313,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 4.2% [95% CI: 3.6, 4.8] (1.2 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Compared to 2021, the prevalence of vaping cannabis in the past 30 days increased among women aged 15 to 19 years. Among Canadians 15 years and older, 5.7% [95% CI: 4.9, 6.5] (907,000) of men reported vaping cannabis in the past 30 days, which was higher than women (4.4% [95% CI: 3.6, 5.1] or 705,000).
Edible Cannabis
Consuming edible cannabis in the past 30 days was reported by 6.6% [95% CI: 6.0, 7.3] (2.1 million) of Canadians aged 15 years and older. The prevalence of consuming edible cannabis in the past 30 days was 4.6% [95% CI: 3.7, 5.5] (97,000) among youth aged 15 to 19 years, 11.9% [95% CI: 10.4, 13.4] (286,000) among young adults aged 20 to 24 years, and 6.3% [95% CI: 5.6, 7.1] (1.7 million) among adults aged 25 years and older. Among Canadians 15 years and older, 6.9% [95% CI: 6.0, 7.8] (1.1 million) of men reported consuming edible cannabis in the past 30 days, which was higher than women (6.3% [95% CI: 5.4, 7.2] or 1.0 million).
Substance use across socio-demographic characteristics
The following sections describe differences in substance use among Canadians 15 years and older across socio-demographic characteristics. Additional results describing substance use across these characteristics, by age group and gender, are included in detailed tables.
Education
Details on substance use disaggregated by education level can be found in Table A. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day smoking, past-30-day vaping and past-30-day tobacco use was higher among those with less than a university degree, compared to those with a university degree or more.
There was a higher prevalence of past-30-day alcohol use among those with higher levels of education (post-secondary certificate/diploma or university degree or more) compared to those with lower levels of education (less than secondary school graduation or secondary school graduation). Past-30-day edible cannabis use was lower among those with less than a high school education compared to those with higher levels of education. Past-30-day vaping cannabis was higher among those with secondary school graduation compared to other groups. Past-30-day cannabis smoking was higher among those with secondary school graduation or post-secondary certificate/diploma compared to those with a university degree or more.
Visible Minorities
Details on substance use disaggregated by visible minority status can be found in Table B. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of each measured substance (past-30-day smoking, vaping, tobacco use, alcohol use, smoking cannabis, vaping cannabis and edible cannabis) was lower among those who identified as a visible minority, compared to those who did not identify as a visible minority.
Indigenous
Details on substance use disaggregated by Indigenous identity can be found in Table C. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day smoking, vaping, tobacco use, smoking cannabis, and vaping cannabis was higher among those who identified as Indigenous, compared to those who did not identify as Indigenous. There was no difference in past-30-day alcohol use or edible cannabis use between those who identified as Indigenous and those who did not identify as Indigenous.
Sexual Orientation
Details on substance use disaggregated by sexual orientation can be found in Table D. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day vaping, smoking cannabis, vaping cannabis and consuming edible cannabis was higher among those who were lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual orientation that is not heterosexual (LGB+), compared to those who were heterosexual. There was no difference in past-30-day smoking, tobacco use, or alcohol use between those who were heterosexual and those who were LGB+.
Substance use across self-reported general and mental health, and disability status
The following sections describe differences in substance use among Canadians 15 years and older across self-reported general and mental health, and disability status. Additional results describing substance use across these characteristics, by age group and gender, are included in detailed tables.
General Health
Details on substance use disaggregated by perceived general health can be found in Table E. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day smoking, tobacco use, and smoking cannabis was higher among those who rated their general health as fair or poor, compared to those who rated it as excellent, very good or good. Conversely, those who rated their general health as excellent, very good or good had a higher prevalence of past-30-day alcohol use. There was no difference in the prevalence of past-30-day vaping, vaping cannabis, and consuming edible cannabis by perceived general health.
Mental Health
Details on substance use disaggregated by perceived mental health can be found in Table F. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day vaping, smoking cannabis, vaping cannabis and consuming edible cannabis was higher among those who rated their mental health as fair or poor, compared to those who rated it as excellent, very good or good. There was no difference in the prevalence of past-30-day smoking, tobacco use, and alcohol use by perceived mental health.
Disability Status
Details on substance use disaggregated by disability status can be found in Table G. Among Canadians aged 15 years and older, the prevalence of past-30-day smoking, tobacco use, smoking cannabis, vaping cannabis and consuming edible cannabis was higher among persons with a disability, compared to persons without a disability. Conversely, persons without a disability had a higher prevalence of past-30-day alcohol use compared to persons with a disability. The prevalence of past-30-day vaping did not vary by disability status.
Reference Information
Statistics Canada conducts CTNS on behalf of Health Canada. The target population for CTNS is non-institutionalized persons 15 years of age or older, living in Canada's ten provinces, who are not members of collectives or living on reserves.
A sample of 12,133 respondents consisted of 4,963 individuals aged 15 to 24, and 7,170 individuals aged 25 years and older across Canada.
CTNS data were collected directly from respondents either through an electronic questionnaire or telephone follow-up interviews. The sample for ages 15 to 24 years were targeted respondents where the person is the sampling unit. The sample for ages 25 years and older had a two-stage sampling design where the sampling unit for the first stage is dwelling and the sampling unit for the second stage was person. The overall response rate for CTNS 2022 was 44.9%. Additional information about CTNS methodology can be found on Statistics Canada's website at:
https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&Id=1492763
For the purposes of this report, only univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted, with a z-test for proportions used to determine if results are statistically significantly different from one another. The data presented in this report have been weighted to allow the results to be generalized to the Canadian population.
For more information about the survey and the tobacco and vaping results, please write to the Tobacco Control Directorate, Health Canada, Address Locator 0301A, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, or send an e-mail request to: tcp.questions-plt@hc-sc.gc.ca
For information on the public-use microdata file, please contact Statistics Canada's Client Services, Centre for Social Data Integration and Development by e-mail (statcan.csdidclientservice-ciddsservicealaclientele.statcan@canada.ca), or by calling the toll-free telephone number (1-800-461-9050).
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