Nova Scotians lead the country in cannabis consumption, says StatsCan

While B.C. may be known for its production of bud, Nova Scotians lead the country in cannabis consumption among people 15 and older, according to Statistics Canada data released Thursday.

Smoking recreational cannabis will be legal in Canada for those 19 and older starting Wednesday though edible cannabis products will remain illegal for the time being.

According to the third-quarter findings for Statistics Canada’s national cannabis survey, 23 per cent of Nova Scotia residents reported using cannabis, which was followed by B.C. at 20 per cent.

For the country as a whole, it worked out to 15 per cent of residents — or 4.6 million people.

The province with the smallest proportion of residents who used cannabis was Quebec at 10.1 per cent.

The other provinces came in at:

• Alberta — 17 per cent.
• Saskatchewan — 15.7 per cent.
• Manitoba — 18.9 per cent.
• Ontario — 15.1 per cent.
• New Brunswick — 13.8 per cent.
• P.E.I. — 15 per cent.
• Newfoundland — 16.1 per cent.

Statistics Canada also found that cannabis use was higher among males (18 per cent) than females (12 per cent) for the country. Use also decreased with age.

Using data from the first nine months of the year, Statistics Canada reported that 14 per cent of cannabis users with a driver’s licence reported driving within two hours of using.

Previous data from Statistics Canada found that the province producing the most cannabis in 2017 was B.C., accounting for 36.6 per cent of total production, followed by Quebec at 31 per cent and Ontario at 22.7 per cent.