THUNDER BAY – A non-scientific 2019 poll of cannabis use in the Thunder Bay District shows those who use it, use it a lot.
According to the study, which was surveyed last year, said the majority of respondents who used the now-legal drug in the past three months reported frequent use, either daily or almost daily. More than half who use describe their use as recreational in nature, but a sizable portion of that total, with plenty of crossover, say they use it primarily for medical purposes.
Sheena Albanese, a health promotion planner at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, said while the data doesn’t necessarily paint a true picture about cannabis use in the city – just the responses of the 1,900 to took part in the survey – it does give a snapshot view and provides some good indicators as to how it’s being used within the district.
“There are a lot of different reasons that people use cannabis, and we asked about recreational use versus use for medical purposes, and what we found is there is a lot of overlap between those two. The boundaries between medical use and recreational use, they’re blurred. They’re not exactly two different spheres,” Albanese said.
The study shows 47 per cent of respondents, all aged 14 or older, indicated no cannabis use whatsoever. Thirty-one per cent said they used it recreationally, while 14 per cent said they use it for medicinal purposes, without a prescription. A further nine percent use it medically with a prescription.
Among cannabis users only, 58 per cent say they use it recreationally, with the remainder saying they use it for medicinal purposes, including 26 per cent who do so without a prescription.
About 56 per cent of users who responded to the survey reported frequent use, considered daily or almost daily. Nineteen per cent use it weekly, while 17 per cent said they only used it once or twice in the previous three months. The rest reported monthly use.
Male cannabis users reported using it frequently at a rate of 63 per cent, versus 52 per cent of females.
Cannabis became legal in Canada in October 2018.
Albanese said they didn’t ask specific questions about pre- and post-legalization usage, but added the survey does provide some hints about usage in the district.
Particularly concerning is the number of people who said they use it frequently.
“That is of concern because there are some health impacts with daily use. That is something we also want to keep a focus on in our future education efforts.”
Albanese said the study, conducted in partnership with the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy, showed an eagerness by respondents to try edible marijuana products, but were also concerned about mental health and physical aspects.
Those who live in Thunder Bay were also more likely to use cannabis than those who lived elsewhere in the district.
Also of concern was a lack of knowledge about low-risk cannabis use, 75 per cent of respondents indicating they weren’t aware of the country’s lower risk cannabis use guideline, which show a need for more public education.
It’s already begun, Albanese said.
“We started with some live-stream events where we asked experts and different panel members and we used the survey information to tell us who people wanted to hear from and whatnot,” she said. “We did an event around edible cannabis products. We did something around the law and impaired driving – and that’s actually all on our website right now.”
To see the entire survey, click here.
