A new global report from the World Health Organization found that Canada is second only to France in the amount of teens who use cannabis.
The report looked at school-aged children in 42 countries and found that 24 per cent of 15-year-old Canadian boys and 22 per cent of girls had used cannabis at some point, with 13 per cent of both sexes reporting use of cannabis within the last 30 days.
According to the WHO, teenagers are more likely to use cannabis if they have friends or older siblings who already do so.
The report states that, as many nations reexamine their stance on cannabis, use among teens may change.
“Population surveys show that the perception of cannabis-associated risk has declined significantly as a result of the ongoing debate, with some countries seeing an increase in use among adolescents and young adults,” the report reads.
The study points out that nations like the Netherlands and Uruguay who have adopted legalized cannabis movements, have lower cannabis use amongst teens than many nations with strict prohibition.
“Ongoing public debates and changes in national and state policies and regulations might explain future variations in trends across countries and regions as they affect perceptions of risk and availability and may encourage experimentation,” the report reads.
