MLHU - Health Status Resource

Substance use

Substance use among children and youth can harm their physical and mental development. Early initiation of substance use (especially before the age of 14) is associated with a higher risk of developing problematic substance use or dependence later in life.¹ For substances such as tobacco, e-cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and other products, Ontario public health units strive to prevent or delay substance use, reduce harms associated with substance use, and prevent problematic substance use.² Specific to children and youth, health units have a mandate to ensure that youth have reduced access to tobacco products and e-cigarettes³, and to work with schools related to substance use prevention and harm reduction². In Middlesex-London, over 98% of youth reported abstaining from cigarettes, while almost a third reported having used cannabis at least once.

The Substance Use topic contains data for the overall Middlesex-London population on tobacco, alcohol use, cannabis, and opioids and other substances.

Tobacco

The Tobacco section contains data for the overall Middlesex-London population on smoking status, intentions to quit smoking, smoking abstinence, and exposure to second-hand smoke.

Over 98% of the youth population age 12–17 in Middlesex-London reported completely abstaining from cigarettes in their lifetime (Figure 13.5.1). The percentage in Middlesex-London was higher compared to Ontario (94.5%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Due to small sample sizes, socioeconomic factors such as income and education could not be examined for youth abstinence.

The Exposure to second-hand smoke section includes data on the percent of population (age 12+) exposed to second-hand smoke at home (Figure 5.1.9), or in a vehicle or outdoor space (Figure 5.1.10).

Interpretation

According to the 2017 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, the average age for which Canadians first smoked a cigarette was 16.4 years.⁴

Since 1977, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has conducted a survey of students in Ontario in grades 7 through 12 called the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS).⁵ The survey collects self-reported information from students about home and school life, physical health, mental health, antisocial behaviour and bullying, substance use and other risk behaviours. In the 2017 cycle of the survey, 7.0% of students reported using cigarettes, 5.4% smokeless (chewing tobacco), and 10.7% electronic cigarettes (vapour products) in the past year.⁶

Drugs

The Opioids and Other Substances section contains data for the overall Middlesex-London population on opioid-related deaths, opioid-related emergency department visits, and use of other substances.

Almost a third (31.9%) of youth (age 12–17) in Middlesex-London reported using cannabis in their lifetime in 2015/16, and 27.4% in the past 12 months (Figure 13.5.2).

Among the 10–14 age group in Middlesex-London, the rate of cannabis-related emergency department visits was 45.0 per 100,000 in 2017 (Figure 5.3.5). This rate was significantly lower compared to youth and young adults age 15–24 (269.9 per 100,000).

Among youth and young adults age 15–24, the rate of opioid-related emergency department visits was 152.9 per 100,000 in 2017; this rate was significantly lower compared to those age 25–44 (Figure 5.4.7).

Interpretation

The average age at which Canadians first experiment with substance use varies by substance. The Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) is a survey conducted every two years by Statistics Canada on behalf of Health Canada on tobacco, alcohol and drug use among Canadians age 15 years and older.⁷ According to the 2017 CTADS, the average age for which Canadians first: drank alcohol was 18.3 years, used cannabis was 18.6 years, and used other illegal drugs was 19.2 years. For youth age 15–19, alcohol is by far the most common substance used, followed by cannabis.⁴

In the 2017 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), 42.5% of Ontario students reported using alcohol and 19.0% reported using cannabis in the past year; for both substances, percentages were similar between males and females, and were higher for older grades (i.e., lowest among students in grade 7 and highest among students in grade 12).

Figure 13.5.1: Youth who have completely abstained from smoking cigarettes in their lifetime

Figure 13.5.2: Self-reported cannabis use in lifetime and in the past 12 months