Illicit Drug Use in Canada: A Review of Current Epidemiology with Clues for Prevention

Abstract

It is widely believed that marijuana, LSD, speed and other mood-modifying drugs are frequently taken by some segments of the Canadian population. However it is difficult to obtain estimates of drug usage which apply to more than a narrow social or geographic area. The surveys made in Canada vary in size, method of sampling, validity of conclusions, and range of drugs covered, but together they constitute a beginning epidemiology of drug use. The major purpose here is to review the surveys of illicit drug use in Canada and contribute to an understanding of the epidemiology of drug use. Further purposes are to indicate factors associated with drug use and describe some recent studies of the distribution of drug use. It is believed that these latter purposes will allow the establishment of certain clear indications for preventive work. It will be argued that the distributions of drug use suggest that drug abuse cannot be reduced unless the per capita consumption of mood-modifying drugs is reduced.