Illicit substance use among Canadian youth: trends between 2002 and 2008.
Hammond, David ; Ahmed, Rashid ; Yang, Wiworn Sae 等
The prevalence of substance use among Canadian adults has increased
over the past decade.1 Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in
Canada: approximately 45% of Canadians over 15 years old report having
used cannabis at least once in their lifetime and 14% report use in the
past year. Approximately one in six Canadians also report having used at
least one of hallucinogens, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy; however,
fewer than one percent report using these drugs in the past year.1,2 At
present, substance use in Canada is highest among men and young adults.
(1,3)
Patterns of adult substance use are typically established during
adolescence and early drug use among youth serves as a useful indicator
of future trends among adults. (4,5) In the late 1970s, approximately
one third of Ontario students reported past-year use of any illicit
drug.6 Prevalence of use declined during the 1980s, followed by dramatic
increases in the mid-1990s. For example, the prevalence of cocaine and
cannabis use among Ontario youth almost tripled between 1993 and 2003,
with similar trends in other provinces. (6,7) More recently, the use of
cannabis and substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and hallucinogens
appears to have declined among youth. (6,8) One of the few national
drug-use studies conducted among Canadian youth found that the
prevalence of cannabis use, amphetamines, heroin, cocaine, LSD,
steroids, and solvent use showed either no change or modest decreases
among students in grades 9 and 10 between 1998 and 2006. (9)
One challenge in detecting trends in adolescent substance use is
the scarcity of national data that allow for comparisons across
provinces and regions. Outside of Ontario, few provinces routinely
monitor patterns of substance use, particularly among those under 15
years of age. Patterns of use among younger adolescents are particularly
important given that early initiation is a strong predictor of
subsequent substance abuse and health risk. (4,5) Therefore, it is
unclear to what extent the recent declines reported among Ontario
adolescents and older youth reflect national trends for younger
populations. The objective of the current study was to characterize
patterns of use for 11 substances among Canadians aged 13 to 15. The
study also sought to examine differences by gender, as well as regional
differences in substance use.
METHODS
Participants
The Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) was conducted with Canadian
respondents in grades 5 to 9 inclusive in 2002 (n=19,018), 2004
(n=29,243), and with grades 5 to 12 in 2006 (n=71,003) and grades 6 to
12 in 2008 (n=51,922). The current data include youth in grades 7 to 9
who responded to the substance use section of the 2002 (n=11,757), 2004
(n=16,705), and 2006 (n=27,030) surveys. For the 2008 survey, the data
include youth in grades 7-9 (n=24,752) and grades 10-12 (n=20,673) who
responded to the substance use section.
Design
Data were collected as part of the YSS, conducted on behalf of
Health Canada in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. The target population for
the YSS consisted of all young Canadian residents in grades 5-9 (grades
5-12 in 2006 and grades 6-12 in 2008), inclusive of public and private
schools, in 10 Canadian provinces. Youth residing in the Yukon, Nunavut
and the Northwest Territories were not included, nor were youth living
in institutions or on First Nation Reserves. Youth attending special
schools and schools on military bases were also excluded from the target
population.
The YSS 2002 used a sampling design consisting of a two-stage
stratified clustered design with schools as primary sampling units and
classes as secondary sampling units. All of the students in the selected
classes were surveyed. The sample design featured three levels of
stratification: province, grade level, and census metropolitan area. The
sample of schools was selected systematically with probability
proportional to school size. The selection of the secondary sampling
units (classes) was conducted by field staff who randomly selected one
class in the desired grade per school. The final 2002 YSS sample
included 1,070 classes in 982 schools situated in 327 school boards.
Data were collected between October and December 2002.
In YSS 2004-05, the sampling of schools was conducted in two
stages. At stage 1, school boards were sampled within each province
using a stratified sampling design. The school boards were rank ordered
based on their adult smoking rates and each board was assigned to one of
the two strata (low vs. high smoking rate) so that approximately half
the total student enrolment in any province was assigned to each
stratum. From the selected school boards, schools were then sampled.
Schools were stratified into two strata, the senior stratum (senior
elementary or high school grades) and the junior stratum (junior
elementary grades).
The YSS 2006-07 and 2008-09 used a stratified multistage sampling
design. Stratification was first based on 15-19 year old smoking rate by
health region (low or high) and then school type (elementary or
secondary). Four school strata were created for each provincial sampling
frame by crossing the two health region strata (low or high) with two
school type strata (elementary or secondary). In the YSS 2008-09, at the
health-region level, a third stratum, Greater Toronto Area, was created
for Ontario to acknowledge the size of the GTA. As a result, Ontario has
six strata instead of the four for each of the other provinces. Schools
were randomly selected within each stratum in each province with
probabilities proportional to the total enrolment in their boards in YSS
2006-07 and based on simple random sampling in YSS 2008-09. Private
schools were selected randomly from the list of private schools in each
province. The number of private schools selected was proportional to the
number of students enrolled in private schools compared to the total in
public schools. All students in grades 5-12 in YSS 2006-07 and grades
6-12 in YSS 2008-09 of selected schools were eligible for participation
in the survey.
Detailed information on the sample design, methods and survey rates
is available from Statistics Canada.10,11 For the YSS 2006-07, detailed
information is available from the YSS website (www.yss.uwaterloo.ca).
Measures
The YSS collected information on age, gender, smoking behaviour, as
well as alcohol and non-medical drug use. Tobacco use was defined based
on how the respondents answered, "Have you ever tried cigarette
smoking, even just a few puffs?" Alcohol use was assessed by asking
respondents, "Have you ever had a drink of alcohol; that is, more
than just a sip?" Those who answered "yes" were asked,
"Have you ever had five drinks or more of alcohol on one
occasion?" In the YSS 2008-09, alcohol use was assessed by asking
the respondents, "In the last 12 months, how often did you have a
drink of alcohol that was more than just a sip?" Respondents were
also asked whether they "have ever used or tried" each of the
following substances: Cannabis (a joint, pot, weed, hash); Amphetamines,
such as speed, ice, or meth; MDMA (Ecstasy, E, X); Hallucinogens (LSD,
PCP, acid, magic mushrooms, mesc); Heroin (smack, H, junk, crank);
Cocaine (coke, crack, blow, snow); Steroids (testosterone, growth
hormones, Dianobol, juice, roids); glue, gasoline or other products
(solvents); and prescription drugs to get high and not for medical
purposes. Similar to alcohol use, in the YSS 2008-09, cannabis use was
assessed by asking how often the respondents used cannabis in the past
12 months. Although the tobacco questions were asked of all YSS
respondents, only those in Grades 7-9 were asked the remaining
substance-related questions. As a result, the current findings only
include students in Grades 7 to 9. In the YSS 2008-09, the
substance-related questions also included Grades 10-12 students; thus,
Grades 10-12 were included in the analyses for the year 2008.
Analyses
All analyses, with the exception of the regression analyses, were
conducted using SAS statistical software, Version 9.1. The regression
analyses were conducted using Stata Version 10.1. Descriptive analyses
(e.g., proportions by age and gender) were calculated to determine
prevalence estimates. Survey weights were used to adjust for
non-response between provinces and groups, thereby minimizing any bias
in the analyses caused by differential response rates across regions or
groups.10 Any estimate for which the numerator was less than 30 is not
reported. Regression analyses were performed to test significant
differences over time and between genders.
RESULTS
Sample characteristics are provided in Table 1. Table 2 shows the
prevalence of use for 11 substances reported in the 2002, 2004, 2006 and
2008 surveys. Alcohol was the most commonly reported substance, with a
significant increase between 2002 and 2004 (+8.4%, p<0.01), but
stabilized in 2006. The prevalence of alcohol use was not reported in
2008 because the data were not comparable to previous years due to
changes to the question wording. However, comparisons between 2006 and
2008 were possible with regards to proportion of students who reported
having at least one drink per month in the previous year. For 2008,
20.6% of Grades 7-9 students surveyed reported having at least one drink
per month in the previous year; this showed no significant change from
2006 (21.2%). Proportions of males and females who reported at least one
drink per month were 22.1% and 19.2%, respectively; again, showing no
significant changes from 2006 (22.6% and 19.5%, respectively).
Approximately one quarter of respondents reported ever using
tobacco in 2008; there have been no significant differences since 2002.
The proportion of respondents reporting cannabis use also remained
stable between 2004 and 2008, with a modest non-significant decrease
between 2002 and 2004. Excluding alcohol, tobacco and cannabis,
approximately 13% of Canadian youth reported ever trying at least one
"other" drug in 2008. Significant decreases between 2006 and
2008 were only observed for glue (-1.6%, p<0.001), whereas the
proportion of youth reporting ever use of MDMA (+1.0%, p=0.025) and
non-medical use of prescription drugs (+2.4%, p<0.001) significantly
increased in 2008.
Gender differences
In 2008, males were significantly more likely than females to
report tobacco (p<0.001), cannabis (p<0.001), hallucinogens
(p<0.001), cocaine (p=0.004), heroin (p<0.001) and steroid use
(p<0.001). Changes between 2006 and 2008 were generally consistent
across genders. Males were more likely than females to report alcohol
use in past month in 2008, and males were significantly more likely to
report "ever" drinking alcohol in each of the previous surveys
except 2002, where no significant differences were observed between
males and females. Gender differences were generally stable across
survey years.
Differences across geographic regions
Significant differences were observed across geographic regions in
the prevalence of each substance. Table 3 shows prevalence estimates
within each region in 2006 and 2008. Comparison between 2006 and 2008
for alcohol use was only possible for proportion of students reporting
drinking at least once a month in the previous years (not shown in Table
3). In 2008, those who reported drinking at least once a month in the
previous year was highest in Quebec at 28.5%, followed by BC at 26.0%,
Atlantic at 18.5%, Ontario at 16.6% and lowest in the Prairies at 15.7%.
Quebec also had the highest reported use of tobacco at 42.0% while
Ontario had the lowest at 16.4%. BC had the highest reported use of
cannabis at 27.3% while Ontario had the lowest at 12.1%. BC youth also
reported the highest use of all "other drugs."
Current estimates of "ever" drug use among Grades 7-12
Table 4 shows changes in the prevalence of ever drug use between
Grades 7-12 in 2008. Drug use increased significantly at each grade for
tobacco, cannabis and "other drugs" among males and females
with very few exceptions. However, the opposite pattern was observed for
glue, which had the highest prevalence of use in Grade 8 for males and
Grade 9 for females, with declines in later grades. Amphetamine use also
peaked in Grade 10 for males and females. Figure 1 illustrates changes
for tobacco, cannabis, alcohol and "other drugs" across
grades.
DISCUSSION
Main findings of this study
The findings indicate that a substantial proportion of Canadian
youth in Grades 7 to 12 reported using an illicit substance. As
expected, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis continue to be the most commonly
used drugs. However, approximately 13% of Canadian youth in Grades 7 to
9 reported using at least one illicit drug other than alcohol, tobacco
and cannabis in 2008.
Self-reported rates of illicit substances remained stable between
2006 and 2008, and showed little change since 2002 for most substances.
The only significant changes in 2008 were a decrease in the use of glue
among Grades 7-9 students and an increase in the use of MDMA and
non-medicinal use of prescription drugs. Indeed, non-medicinal use of
prescription drugs has more than doubled since 2002. These results are
consistent with reports in the rise of non-medicinal use of Oxycontin--a
highly addictive painkiller containing the opiate oxycodone. (6,12) In
contrast, rates of "ever using" tobacco and cannabis fell from
2002 to 2004 (non-significant changes) but remained stable in 2006 and
2008. The decrease in tobacco use reflects a steady and substantial
decline in smoking among youth, particularly in provinces such as
British Columbia, which has achieved historical lows in recent years.
(13) Ever use of alcohol decreased significantly from 2004 to 2006.
Comparison of the prevalence of alcohol use at least once in the past
month between 2006 and 2008 indicated that the rate of alcohol use has
stabilized. Data collected in Canada since 2004 suggest that illicit
substance use has decreased among youth, at least among Ontario students
where data are available.6 For example, use of cigarettes and LSD among
Ontario students was recently found to be at an all-time low, while only
non-medical use of Oxycontin showed an increase between 2004 and 2006
but stabilized in 2008. As expected, substance use increased with grade,
with the notable exceptions of glue and amphetamines.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
The data also highlight considerable differences across regions in
the prevalence of drug use among youth. In particular, Quebec youth were
significantly more likely to report having used alcohol and tobacco
while BC youth were significantly more likely to report having used
cannabis and any "other" drug. These findings are generally
consistent with regional patterns of use among adults, which indicate
higher rates of substance use among adults in Quebec, Alberta and
British Columbia, and lower rates in the Atlantic provinces. (1) In
addition, the significantly lower rates of tobacco use among Ontario
youth are consistent with the lower rates among adults. (13) Potential
reasons for the regional differences in substance use include different
provincial access laws for substances such as alcohol and cigarettes.
For example, the legal drinking age is lower in Quebec, Alberta and
Manitoba--provinces with higher rates of alcohol use. Youth education
and prevention initiatives are also mainly implemented at the provincial
level and may vary across regions. Differences in youth substance use
may also reflect regional differences in economic conditions and the
availability of illicit substances.
The prevalence of lifetime substance use among Canadian youth
appears to be generally similar to patterns among youth in the US and
Europe. Lifetime prevalence of illicit substances other than marijuana
were similar among US youth in 2006 (12.2%) and 2008 (11.2%). Use of
tobacco, ecstasy and cocaine were similar, although slightly lower among
US 8th graders in 2006 and 2008, with the exception of cocaine.
Likewise, US 8th graders reported a similar but declining use of
cannabis between 2006 (15.7%) and 2008 (14.6%), down from peak levels in
the late 1990s. (14) Cannabis use in Canada, on the other hand, remained
relatively stable between 2006 and 2008. Furthermore, alcohol use among
US youth appears to be significantly lower than in Canada, although
heading in the same direction. Thirty-nine percent of US 8th graders
reported ever trying alcohol use in 2008--a 2% decrease from 2006. This
compares to 21% of Canadian youth in the same year who reported having
at least one drink once a month in the past year--unchanged from 2006.
European youth also report similar levels of lifetime prevalence for
cannabis and other illicit drug use as those for Canadian youth,
although far higher levels of alcohol use: close to 90% of youth aged 15
to 16 reported trying alcohol in two thirds of the European countries
surveyed in 2007. (15) It should be noted, however, that the average
across European countries obscures substantial differences in substance
use between countries. For example, approximately 46% of Czech students
reported trying cannabis, compared to 4% in Armenia.
The current findings indicate that males are consistently more
likely than females to report trying illicit substances. The current
findings are generally consistent with adult drug use pattern where
adult males consistently report greater rates of substance use than
adult females.
Limitations
This study has several limitations common to survey research,
including the threat of bias from non-response and attrition. To address
these threats, the data were weighted to help account for non-response
and potential sample bias. The data are also subject to self-report
bias, which may be significant in surveys of substance use among younger
youth. Although confidential self-completed surveys help to minimize
self-report bias, the actual prevalence rates may be somewhat higher or
lower than those reported in the current paper. Despite the large sample
size of the study, changes in low-frequency drugs between survey waves
should be interpreted with caution. In addition, this national survey
does not include important subpopulations of youth in which substance
use may be more common, including youth who do not attend school and
those living in northern communities or on Aboriginal reserves. Finally,
the current survey does not provide information on consumption amounts
or frequency of substance use. Differences between "ever" and
"regular" use can be significant: for example, although 26% of
Ontario secondary students reported trying cannabis, only 2.5% reported
daily use in the week prior to the survey. (6) Without accurate data of
the frequency of use, it is difficult to estimate the social and
economic harms from substance use, and to predict future risk.
Furthermore, change in the question wording for alcohol use in YSS
2008-09 did not allow a direct comparison of alcohol ever use with the
previous survey years. Although rates of drinking once a month were
reported for 2006 and 2008, they may not accurately reflect the change
in the pattern of ever use.
CONCLUSIONS
The current findings suggest that a considerable proportion of
Canadians between the ages of 12 and 15 are experimenting with
substances: trying different drugs--particularly alcohol, tobacco and
cannabis--appears to be a relatively common experience for many Canadian
youth. This suggests that the goal of abstinence may be somewhat
unrealistic for drug prevention programs, at least on a population
level. Although abstinence should remain an important objective,
interventions might also consider strategies that acknowledge
experimentation and target the progression of use.
Acknowledgements: The 2006-2007 Youth Smoking Survey is a product
of a pan-Canadian capacity-building project that includes Canadian
tobacco control researchers from all provinces and provides training
opportunities for university students at all levels. Production of this
paper has been made possible through a financial contribution from
Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent
the views of Health Canada. This work was also supported by the Propel
Centre for Population Health Impact and the Interdisciplinary Capacity
Enhancement Program at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Leatherdale is a
Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
Received: May 5, 2010
Accepted: August 20, 2010
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David Hammond, PhD, [1] Rashid Ahmed, MSc, [2] Wiworn Sae Yang,
BSc, [1] Robin Brukhalter, MMath, [3] Scott Leatherdale, PhD [4]
Author Affiliations
[1.] Department of Health Studies & Gerontology, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
[2.] Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science, University
of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
[3.] Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
[4.] Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, ON
Correspondence: David Hammond, Department of Health Studies &
Gerontology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Tel: 519-888-4567, ext.36462, Fax: 519-886-6424,
E-mail: dhammond@uwaterloo.ca
Table 1. Sample Characteristics for Youth Smoking Survey 2002, 2004,
2006 and 2008 *
2002 2004 2006
% (n) % (n) % (n)
Sample Size 11,757 16,705 27,030
Gender
Female 48.6 (5712) 48.5 (8101) 49.0 (13,219)
Male 51.4 (6045) 51.5 (8604) 51.0 (13,761)
Grade
Grade 7 34.7 (4079) 33.7 (5629) 32.4 (8765)
Grade 8 33.0 (3880) 33.2 (5538) 33.6 (9085)
Grade 9 32.3 (3798) 33.1 (5538) 34.0 (9179)
Region
Atlantic 7.8 (921) 7.5 (1254) 6.9 (1868)
Quebec 24.0 (2823) 23.9 (3999) 24.5 (6614)
Ontario 37.5 (4406) 38.6 (6448) 38.9 (10,522)
Prairies 18.1 (2127) 18.2 (3035) 17.5 (4731)
British Columbia 12.6 (1481) 11.8 (1970) 12.2 (3295)
2008 (gr. 7-9) 2008 (gr. 10-12)
% (n) % (n)
Sample Size 24,752 20,673
Gender
Female 49.0 (12,126) 48.2 (9963)
Male 51.0 (12,626) 51.8 (10,710)
Grade
Grade 7 32.4 (8021) 34.9 (7219)
Grade 8 33.2 (8228) 34.1 (7041)
Grade 9 34.4 (8503) 31.0 (6413)
Region
Atlantic 6.7 (1660) 7.23 (1495)
Quebec 24.1 (5953) 14.0 (2896)
Ontario 38.7 (9584) 43.2 (8939)
Prairies 18.1 (4470) 19.9 (4114)
British Columbia 12.5 (3085) 15.6 (3229)
* Weighted data
Table 2. Proportion of "Ever" Drug Use Among Grades 7-9
Students ([dagger])
2002 (n=11,757)
Male Female Total
Alcohol 57.1 51.7 54.5
Tobacco 30.8 32.2 31.5
Cannabis 19.5 16.8 18.2
Any "other" drug 12.0 11.2 11.6
Hallucinogens 4.4 3.4 3.9
Amphetamines 2.1 2.3 2.2
Cocaine 2.0 2.2 2.1
MDMA 1.3 1.3 1.3
Heroin 0.8 1.0 0.9
Glue 6.1 5.6 5.9
Prescription drugs 3.2 2.7 3.0
Steroids 0.9 0.6 0.7
2004 (n=16,705)
Male Female Total
Alcohol 65.6 * 60.0 * 62.9 **
Tobacco 25.8 26.7 26.2
Cannabis 17.5 16.0 16.7
Any "other" drug 12.9 14.1 13.5
Hallucinogens 3.2 3.3 3.3
Amphetamines 2.2 3.1 2.7
Cocaine 2.1 2.9 2.5
MDMA 2.0 2.7 2.3
Heroin 1.0 0.9 0.9
Glue 7.4 7.6 7.5
Prescription drugs 3.5 4.3 3.9
Steroids 1.8 0.8 1.3
2006 (n=27,030)
Male Female Total
Alcohol 62.2 56.0 59.1 *
Tobacco 26.7 24.6 25.7
Cannabis 18.4 15.3 16.9
Any "other" drug 13.0 12.3 12.7
Hallucinogens 4.7 * 3.0 3.9
Amphetamines 3.2 2.7 3.0
Cocaine 2.6 2.0 * 2.3
MDMA 3.4 * 2.9 3.2
Heroin 1.6 1.2 1.4 *
Glue 6.7 5.8 * 6.3
Prescription drugs 3.9 4.8 4.3
Steroids 1.9 0.9 1.4
2008 (n=24,752)
Male Female Total
Alcohol -- -- --
Tobacco 27.6 23.5 25.6
Cannabis 19.6 14.3 17.0
Any "other" drug 13.1 12.7 12.9
Hallucinogens 5.7 3.8 4.8
Amphetamines 3.7 3.2 3.5
Cocaine 3.3 2.3 2.8
MDMA 4.5 4.0 4.2
Heroin 2.5 1.0 1.8
Glue 5.0 * 4.5 ** 4.7 ***
Prescription drugs 6.6 *** 6.8 ** 6.7 ***
Steroids 2.3 0.8 1.6
([dagger]) Asterisks denote difference with previous survey year: ***
p <0.001, ** p <0.01, * p <0.05
-- Unreportable
Note: Alcohol "ever use" data for 2008 was unreportable due to
question change
Table 3. Prevalence of "Ever" Drug Use by Region in 2008
(n=24,752) ([dagger])
BC Prairies
(Change from 2006) (Change from 2006)
Tobacco 25.3% (-1.9%) 23.7% (+0.9%)
Cannabis 27.3% (+4.2%) 12.8% (+1.9%)
Any "other" drug 19.3% (+3.3%) 10.5% (-0.5%)
Hallucinogens 9.9% (+4.2%) ** 4.0% (+0.7%)
Amphetamines -- 1.5% (+0.5%)
Cocaine 4.2% (+2.3%) *** 2.1% (+0.4%)
MDMA 5.6% (+2.1%) * 3.6% (+1.3%)
Heroin -- 1.5% (+0.4%)
Glue 7.7% (-0.5%) 4.6% (-2.3%)
Prescription drugs 9.9% (+3.8%) ** 5.8% (+2.0%) *
Steroids -- 1.1% (-0.4%)
Ontario Quebec
(Change from 2006) (Change from 2006)
Tobacco 16.4% (-2.3%) 42.0% (+3.5%)
Cannabis 12.1% (-0.9%) 23.4% (-1.1%)
Any "other" drug 9.3% (+0.01%) 17.3% (+0.04%)
Hallucinogens 2.8% (+0.4%) 6.3% (+0.5%)
Amphetamines 1.2% (-0.2%) 8.9% (+0.9%)
Cocaine 1.9% (-0.1%) 4.4% (+0.8%)
MDMA 2.1% (+0.2%) 7.4% (+1.6%)
Heroin 1.1% (+0.2%) 2.4% (-0.1%)
Glue 4.2% (-1.3%) 3.9% (-1.4%)
Prescription drugs 4.9% (+1.9%) * 8.5% (+2.9%) **
Steroids 1.2% (-) 1.9% (-)
Atlantic
(Change from 2006)
Tobacco 25.7% (+1.2%)
Cannabis 14.2% (-0.2%)
Any "other" drug 12.9% (-0.2%)
Hallucinogens 3.5% (-)
Amphetamines 2.6% (+0.6%)
Cocaine 2.5% (+0.4%)
MDMA 3.7% (+1.1%)
Heroin 1.9% (+0.3%)
Glue 5.7% (-2.7%) **
Prescription drugs 7.4% (+1.9%) *
Steroids 1.9% (+0.3%)
([dagger]) Significant within province over the time between 2006 and
2008: *** p [less than or equal to] 0.001, ** p [less than or equal
to] 0.01, * p [less than or equal to] 0.05
-- Unreportable
Table 4. Prevalence of "Ever" Drug Use Among Grades 7-12 in 2008
(n=45,425) ([dagger])
Grade 7 Grade 8
Male Female Male Female
Tobacco 17.4 12.6 27.4 *** 23.6 ***
Cannabis 7.5 4.1 18.5 *** 12.5 ***
Any "other" drug 9.5 6.6 13.7 ** 11.8 ***
Hallucinogens 2.3 1.4 5.6 *** 3.1 **
Amphetamines 2.0 1.7 4.4 *** 3.2 **
Cocaine 1.3 - 4.4 *** 2.5 ***
MDMA 1.3 1.1 5.0 *** 3.3 ***
Heroin 1.1 - 3.3 ** 1.3 **
Glue 4.2 2.5 5.6 4.7 **
Prescription drugs 4.9 3.5 7.5 ** 6.7 ***
Steroids 1.5 -- 2.7 0.8
Grade 9 Grade 10
Male Female Male Female
Tobacco 37.3 *** 33.9 *** 43.6 *** 40.5 ***
Cannabis 30.9 *** 24.9 *** 38.2 *** 33.1 ***
Any "other" drug 15.6 18.8 *** 21.1 *** 20.2
Hallucinogens 8.8 * 6.5 *** 12.8 *** 9.7 ***
Amphetamines 4.6 4.6 7.2 *** 5.6
Cocaine 4.0 3.4 6.2 *** 4.7 *
MDMA 6.7 7.0 *** 9.4 *** 9.9 **
Heroin 3.0 1.2 4.2 * 1.5
Glue 5.1 5.9 5.2 4.1 ***
Prescription drugs 7.3 9.7 ** 10.3 ** 12.0 *
Steroids 2.7 0.9 5.5 *** 0.9
Grade 11 Grade 12
Male Female Male Female
Tobacco 49.1 * 48.8 *** 56.6 * 53.7 *
Cannabis 51.5 *** 48.6 *** 57.5 * 49.0
Any "other" drug 27.6 *** 26.3 *** 33.4 *** 24.9
Hallucinogens 19.6 *** 13.9 *** 24.4 *** 14.1
Amphetamines 6.5 5.0 4.5 2.8 *
Cocaine 7.7 4.9 12.2 ** 8.1 *
MDMA 15.2 *** 15.2 *** 15.6 14.1
Heroin 2.6 *** 1.2 3.2 1.3
Glue 4.2 4.2 4.4 2.1 **
Prescription drugs 11.1 12.1 16.6 *** 13.5
Steroids 3.5 ** 1.2 4.9 -- **
([dagger]) Asterisks denote differences within genders with previous
year/grade: *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05
-- Unreportable
