DRUG USE 1977– Among Ontario Students Detailed Findings from the Ontario 2019 Student Drug Use and Health Survey SUMMARY REPORT OSDUHS Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey The 2019 OSDUHS Drug Use Report Summary The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s This report describes the 2019 results for use of Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, illicit drugs, (OSDUHS) has been conducted every two years prescription drugs, as well as changes over since 1977, making it the longest ongoing time. Also examined are harms related to drug school survey of adolescents in Canada, and use, perceptions and attitudes, and exposure to one of the longest in the world. Between drugs. All data are based on self-reports November 2018 and June 2019, a total of derived from anonymous questionnaires 14,142 students in grades 7 to 12 from 992 completed in classrooms. The survey was classes, in 263 schools, in 47 school boards administered by the Institute for Social participated in the 2019 cycle of the OSDUHS. Research (at York University) on CAMH’s behalf. Past Year Drug Use (%) for the Total Sample, by Sex, and by Grade, 2019 OSDUHS (N=14,142) Total Males Females G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12 Grades 7–12 Alcohol 41.7 40.6 42.8 7.3 15.8 30.3 45.2 57.0 66.0 * High-Caffeine Energy Drinks 32.6 38.8 26.1 * 18.9 28.9 32.7 32.3 38.1 36.4 * Electronic Cigarettes (Vapes) 22.7 23.5 21.8 1.9 5.3 19.6 25.1 30.9 34.9 * Cannabis 22.0 22.6 21.4 1.3 4.7 12.8 21.7 33.1 40.0 * Binge Drinking (5+ drinks, past month) 14.8 14.9 14.7 1.1 3.0 8.7 13.7 21.3 28.2 * Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers (NM) 11.0 10.9 11.0 9.9 11.5 10.1 9.9 11.3 12.5 Cough/Cold Medication (NM) 7.8 9.3 6.2 * 6.9 7.0 8.3 6.5 8.4 8.8 Tobacco Cigarettes 5.0 5.6 4.4 * s 0.7 2.7 3.5 7.5 10.8 * Waterpipes (Hookahs) 4.4 4.5 4.4 s s 2.4 3.7 5.3 9.4 * Smokeless (Chewing) Tobacco 3.9 6.1 1.4 * s s 2.7 2.9 5.5 7.2 * Inhalants (Glue or Solvents) 3.1 2.7 3.6 * 4.5 5.9 3.2 2.9 2.1 1.9 * ADHD Drugs (NM) 2.7 3.2 2.1 * 0.7 1.3 1.9 2.1 3.1 5.0 * Synthetic Cannabis (“Spice,” “K2”) 1.6 2.0 1.2 * s s 1.2 2.7 2.3 1.8 * Grades 9–12† Mushrooms (Psilocybin) or Mescaline 4.5 6.4 2.5 * -- -- 1.3 2.7 5.9 7.3 * Tranquillizers/Sedatives (NM) 2.9 3.1 2.6 -- -- 1.3 1.9 3.9 4.0 * Cocaine 2.6 3.3 1.8 * -- -- 0.9 0.7 2.7 5.2 * Ecstasy (MDMA) 2.3 2.9 1.6 * -- -- 0.7 1.4 2.8 3.7 * LSD 2.0 2.8 1.2 * -- -- 1.0 1.3 2.2 3.3 * Methamphetamine 0.7 0.9 s -- -- s s s s Crack 0.5 0.8 s -- -- s s s s Fentanyl 0.5 s s -- -- s s s s Any NM Use of a Prescription Drug 13.4 13.7 13.0 -- -- 11.3 11.6 13.9 15.8 * Any Drug Use 20.3 22.5 18.0 * -- -- 15.8 17.9 22.0 23.8 * Notes: † not asked of 7th and 8th graders; * statistically significant sex or grade difference (p<.05), not controlling for other factors; s=estimate suppressed due to unreliability; estimate for alcohol excludes “a sip”; estimates for tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and waterpipes exclude smoking a few puffs; binge drinking refers to drinking five or more drinks on one occasion in the past month; NM=nonmedical use, without a doctor’s prescription; “Any NM Use of a Prescription Drug” refers to the nonmedical use of opioids, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drugs, or tranquillizers/ sedatives; “Any Drug Use” refers to use of any one of 14 drugs (excludes alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and energy drinks); estimates for heroin were suppressed due to unreliability. 2019 OSDUHS Drug Use Report — Summary i 2019 Subgroup Differences in Drug Use Differences in past year drug use according to The survey design divided the province into sex, grade, and four regions of the province four regions: Greater Toronto Area; Northern are presented in the report. Ontario (Parry Sound District, Nipissing District and farther north); Western Ontario (Dufferin ● Among the drugs asked about in the 2019 County and farther west); and Eastern Ontario survey, males are significantly more likely (Simcoe County and farther east). than females to use 10 drugs, as shown in the table below. Females are more likely ● There are significant regional differences to use inhalants. in drug use. Compared to the provincial average, students in the Greater Toronto Males are more Females are more Area are less likely to use many drugs, likely to use likely to use whereas students in the North, West, and • Energy Drinks • Inhalants East regions are more likely to use several • Cough/Cold Medication (NM) drugs. These regional differences are • Tobacco Cigarettes • Smokeless Tobacco shown in the table below. • ADHD Drugs (NM) • Synthetic Cannabis Use in region below Use in region above • Mushrooms/Mescaline provincial average provincial average • Cocaine • Ecstasy (MDMA) Greater Toronto Area • LSD • Alcohol & Binge Drinking NM=nonmedical use • Energy Drinks • Electronic Cigarettes • Cannabis • Cough/Cold Medication ● Past year use of many drugs significantly • Tobacco Cigarettes differs by grade, as shown in the table below. • Smokeless Tobacco Use of most drugs increases with grade, • ADHD Drugs (NM) peaking in grade 11 or 12. • Mushrooms/Mescaline • Tranquillizers (NM) • Cocaine Use increases Use decreases • Ecstasy (MDMA) with grade with grade • LSD • Alcohol & Binge Drinking • Inhalants North • Energy Drinks • Tobacco Cigarettes • Electronic Cigarettes • Cocaine • Cannabis • Ecstasy (MDMA) • Tobacco Cigarettes West • Waterpipes (Hookahs) • ADHD Drugs (NM) • Smokeless Tobacco • Ecstasy (MDMA) • ADHD Drugs (NM) • Synthetic Cannabis East • Mushrooms/Mescaline • Tobacco Cigarettes • Tranquillizers (NM) • Cough/Cold Medication • Cocaine • ADHD Drugs (NM) • Ecstasy (MDMA) NM=nonmedical use; binge drinking refers to 5+ drinks on one occasion in the past month • LSD NM=nonmedical use; binge drinking refers to 5+ drinks on one occasion in the past month 2019 OSDUHS Drug Use Report — Summary ii Trends in Drug Use 2019 vs. 2017 (e.g., Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta) has significantly increased since 2007 (the first Among the total sample of students, only one year of monitoring), from 1.0% to 2.7%. drug use measure showed an increase between the previous survey in 2017 and the The following drugs or drug use measures 2019 survey. The past year use of electronic show a significant decrease during the period cigarettes (also known as “vapes”) significantly between 1999 and 2019: increased from 10.7% to 22.7%. ● alcohol: from 66.0% to 41.7% Past year use of the following three drugs ● binge drinking: from 27.6% to 14.8% significantly decreased between 2017 and ● energy drinks: from 49.5% (2011) to 32.7% 2019: ● cannabis: from 28.0% to 22.0% ● opioids (NM): from 20.6% (2007) to 11.0% ● tobacco cigarettes (from 7.0% in 2017 to ● tobacco cigarettes: from 28.4% to 5.0% 5.0% in 2019), ● waterpipes: from 9.7% (2013) to 4.4% ● waterpipes (from 6.2% to 4.4%), and ● inhalants: from 8.9% to 3.1% ● ecstasy (MDMA) (from 3.4% to 2.3%). ● mushrooms:∗ from 17.1% to 4.5% ● ecstasy (MDMA):* from 7.9% (2001) to 2.3% ● cocaine:* from 5.7% (2003) to 2.6% 2017 2019 ● LSD:* from 8.8% to 2.0% past year past year ● methamphetamine:*from 6.3% to 0.7% use use ● crack:* from 3.2% to 0.5% Tobacco Cigarettes 7.0% 5.0% ● heroin:* from 2.1% to < 0.5%. Waterpipes (Hookahs) 6.2% 4.4% ● Any nonmedical use of a prescription drug Ecstasy (MDMA) 3.4% 2.3% decreased between 2007 and 2019 (from 23.5% to 13.4%) among grades 9–12. Electronic Cigarettes 10.7% 22.7% ● Any use of at least one of eight drugs measured in all survey cycles (mushrooms, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, 1999–2019 methamphetamine, crack, heroin, and tranquillizers/sedatives) significantly The study was redesigned in 1999 to include all decreased between 1999 and 2019, from grades between 7 and 12. As such, 1999 is a key 22.8% to 7.8%, among grades 9–12. marker in the study’s history. In this section, we highlight significant changes during the period Drugs that remained relatively stable and between 1999 and 2019. show no dominant trend since their use was first monitored include smokeless tobacco, In general, most past year drug use measures synthetic cannabis (“spice”), cough/cold show a significant downward trend over time, medication (nonmedical use), and with two exceptions. Use of electronic tranquillizers/sedatives (nonmedical use). cigarettes has significantly increased since 2015 (the first year of monitoring) from 11.7% to 22.7%. The nonmedical use of ADHD drugs ∗ among grades 9-12 only (not asked of grade 7 and 8 students) 2019 OSDUHS Drug Use Report — Summary iii Trends by Sex Long-Term Trends in Drug Use, 1977–2019 (Grades 7, 9, and 11 only) Both males and females show a significant increase in past year use of electronic The OSDUHS has been monitoring student cigarettes since the previous survey in 2017, drug use for over 40 years.