October 4, 2006 Source: :
http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=release&id=758 Cannabis Use Highest in
BC Cannabis
use is more widespread among British Columbians than the rest of Canadians.
That’s just one of the findings of a joint study from the University of
Victoria-based Centre for Addictions Research of BC (CARBC) and the Centre
for Applied Research on Mental Health and Addictions at SFU. The two centres analyzed data from the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey and
discovered that 1.84 million British Columbians have tried cannabis at least
once. In fact, not only had more British Columbians used cannabis (53
percent in BC versus 44 per cent in the rest of Canada or "elsewhere"), but
they also found it "very easy" to obtain (65 per cent in BC versus 44 per
cent elsewhere). As well, compared with other Canadians, significantly fewer
BC respondents believed cannabis use should be illegal (42 per cent in BC
versus 49 per cent elsewhere). In general, cannabis users were more likely
to be young, male, and have higher education than non-users. "While there were some areas of similarity among British Columbians and
other Canadians—for example most people first use cannabis at around 18
years of age and the drug is used by three per cent of the population
daily—more BC users reported trying to control their use," says study
co-author Dr. Benedikt Fischer, the director of CARBC’s Illicit Drugs,
Public Health and Policy Unit. "BC users also had friends who were concerned
about their use; they combined their cannabis with alcohol and were
classified as ‘moderate risk users’." "Overall these results suggest that greater availability, prevalence and
acceptability of cannabis in BC have resulted in an increase in potentially
hazardous use," says study co-author and CARBC research associate Jodi
Sturge. "In BC, cannabis, like alcohol, is now regarded as a normal
recreational drug and the risks associated with it are especially frequent
and heavy use may be underestimated and a call for targeted interventions." Copies of "Cannabis Use in British Columbia: Patterns of Use, Perceptions
and Public Opinion as Assessed in the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey" are
available online at www.carbc.ca. CARBC is a research centre of the
University of Victoria, in partnership with UBC, UNBC, SFU and Thompson
Rivers University. --30-- Media Contacts:
Dr. Benedikt Fischer (The Centre for Addictions Research of BC) at (250)
853-3132 or bfischer@uvic.ca
Jodi Sturge (The Centre for Addictions Research of BC) at (250) 472-5934 or
jsturge@uvic.ca
Maria Lironi (UVic Communications) at (250) 721-6139 or
lironim@uvic.ca
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