New Health Canada figures show that Canadians over 25 years of age smoked more tobacco and cannabis last year than they did two years previously, according to a Canada Press story published at ottawamatters.com.
Health Canada tracks trends in tobacco, alcohol and drug use among Canadians 15 years of age and older to help develop policies and programs.
The prevalence of cigarette smoking among those over 25 was 16 percent in 2017, up from 13 percent two years earlier.
And 13 percent of people aged 25 or older reported having used cannabis during the last year, up from 10 percent in 2015.
The federal survey results showed little or no change in consumption habits of those in the 15-to-24-year-old age bracket, and little change in the percentage of Canadians who’d used opioids: 12 percent, down from 13 percent in 2015.
The figures came days after the federal government legalized recreational marijuana use for those aged 18 or 19 and older, depending on the province.
The government aims to drive the overall tobacco-smoking rate in Canada to less than five percent by 2035.
The latest survey was conducted from February to December last year through telephone interviews with 16,349 respondents in all 10 provinces.
The survey found also that 15 percent of Canadians aged 15 and older had ever tried an e-cigarette in 2017, up from 13 percent in 2015. However, past-30-day use of e-cigarettes was unchanged from 2015, at three percent.
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