Cannabis Legalization Has Contributed to 13-Year-Olds’ Consumption, Federal Research Finds

Marijuana joints are seen in a file photo. A Health Canada report says legalization of cannabis has normalized use of the substance by youth as young as 13 years of age, despite evidence that it is harmful to children. (Mitch M/Shutterstock)

While the federal government’s legalization of recreational cannabis use in 2018 aimed to keep the substance “out of the hands of youth” as one of three main goals, federal research finds that making it legal has contributed to youth as young as 13 being introduced to the substance.

“By normalizing cannabis use and making it more accessible, aspects of legalization are considered to have contributed to inducing consumption among youth,” said a report based on research contracted by the Department of Health, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

“Youth report cannabis consumption begins as early as 13 or 14,” it continued. “Introduction to cannabis is typically positioned as harmless and enjoyable and considered a recreational activity.”

The report, titled “Youth Perspectives and Experiences With Cannabis Since the Start of Legalization,” also said marijuana was “readily identified by youth 15 to 17 as a coping mechanism predominantly for mental health problems.”

Researchers listed anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, sleep disorders, and lack of appetite as some examples of these mental health issues.

The report also said marijuana’s legalization in 2018 has “normalized and somewhat legitimized cannabis use, suggesting to youth it may be less harmful than some other substances.”

Researchers also noted that Canada’s cannabis consumption by youth and young adults is “one of the highest in the world.”

“Many youth equated cannabis to alcohol in terms of its normality. Legalization was also perceived to have increased accessibility of cannabis,” researchers wrote, while also noting that cannabis has harmful effects on young users.

‘Significant Health Risk During Adolescence’

“There is evidence that cannabis use poses a significant health risk during adolescence, in particular interfering with brain development,” said the report.

However, the researchers wrote that most of the teenagers they surveyed were convinced consuming cannabis had “positive health implications, notably dealing with anxiety and stress, coping with depression, helping to sleep or eat, assisting with social interaction, dealing with problems at home, coping with isolation, easing pain and providing an escape from undesirable realities.”

The Health Department in July 2022 contracted Narrative Research Inc. to conduct the study at a value of just over $105,600.

The researchers gathered their evidence from focus group interviews with 15- to 17-year-olds across the country.

The Liberal government legalized the recreational use and sale of marijuana for adults aged 18 years and older in October 2018 through the Cannabis Act.

The legislation’s passage came with a provision that Ottawa review it three years after its coming into force.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett, the latter being the associate minister of health, launched the review four years later, in September 2022.

According to the Cannabis Act, the two ministers are required to present a report to both the House of Commons and the Senate within 18 months after the start of the review, in this case by early 2024.