About 40 per cent of Canadian teenagers drank alcohol in the last year and one in five used cannabis, according to an annual Statistics Canada survey that asks kids about substances.
For most substances all genders had similar consumption habits, but transgender, gender diverse and/or questioning students jumped ahead of their cis peers when it came to taking illegal drugs or pharmaceuticals to get high. We know youth, like adults, use substances to cope with stressful situations, to find belonging and inclusion, to relax, to feel like they fit in or just to get high, Card says.
Children and teens should be “especially cautious” with alcohol because their brains are still developing, says Adam Sherk, a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research who was also not involved with the Statistics Canada study. One of the most important factors when it comes to teenage substance use is whether parents or trusted adults have talked openly about substances, Card says. “We need to have these difficult conversations and we need to have them early enough.”
Almost 30 per cent of students have tried an electronic cigarette and 17 per cent have used one in the last month. E-cigarettes do not always contain nicotine. Kids said they used e-cigarettes equally because they wanted to relax or they were addicted, followed by because they enjoy it and wanted to get nicotine high.
Transgender, gender diverse and/or questioning students not only reported higher use than their cis peers as far as taking illegal and pharmaceutical drugs, but this difference was especially notable for hallucinogens, glue or gas, stimulants and sleeping medication. Sherk also points to Canada’s drinking guidelines which help people identify the risks associated with the amount they drink weekly.
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