Cannabis use in Northern Health is fairly active according to a recent survey from the province.
38% percent of surveyed residents in our health region reported using cannabis in the past 12 months, trailing only Vancouver Island Health (40%) and Interior Health (39%).
Province-wide, 44% of respondents are using cannabis for physical pain relief followed by enjoyment/recreation (31%) and better sleep 23%.
In addition, a large portion of respondents use the substance for medical reasons due to problems with sleeping (60%), anxiety (43%), chronic non-cancer pain (39%) and depression (30%).
The government also stated in its survey that 71% of those who participated are buying cannabis from a licensed private or government store or from a friend or acquaintance (40%).
On the flip side, just 17% of respondents are buying cannabis from an unlicensed store in BC.
That’s down significantly from the 56% mark back in 2018, prior to legalization.
Furthermore, the province noted a decrease in self-reported driving after cannabis use since 2018 going from 28% to 15%.
Nearly 25-thousand people living in BC participated in the survey, with 18% of respondents located in Northern Health.
A link to the report can be found here.