Did legalization increase youth cannabis use in Canada?
It was one of the loudest worries before 2018: legalize cannabis, and teenage use will take off. Years of data are now in. Here is what actually happened, without the spin. Every figure is sourced from Health Canada's national surveys. Free to cite, a link back to LeafNorth is appreciated.
Last reviewed: July 2026
The short answer
The feared surge did not happen. Among 16 to 19 year olds, past-year cannabis use has bounced around between roughly 36% and 44% since 2018, with no steady upward climb. In the most recent survey it was 41%, in line with several earlier years. Researchers who have studied the question reach the same conclusion: legalization has not driven a dramatic increase in youth use.
Source: Health Canada, Canadian Cannabis Survey. Note that the 16 to 19 group includes 19 year olds, who are of legal age in most provinces, so it is not a pure measure of underage use.
Heavy use hasn't jumped either
It's not just how many people use, but how often. The share of cannabis users who report daily or near-daily use has been roughly stable since 2018, at about a quarter of users overall and around a fifth among younger users. Legalization did not obviously push casual users into heavy use.
Some honest context
None of this means teen use is low or harmless. Canadian youth cannabis use was already among the highest in the wealthy world before legalization, and 41% is still a substantial number. The point is narrower but important: the specific fear that legalizing would cause youth use to spike has not been borne out by the data. It has stayed roughly where it was.
This page reports the trend in use, not the health effects of cannabis on a developing brain, which are a separate and real concern. For that, rely on Health Canada and a medical professional.
Want the fuller picture?
How many Canadians of all ages use cannabis, and how the legal market has grown.
Common questions
Did legalization increase youth cannabis use in Canada?
The feared surge did not materialize. Past-year use among 16 to 19 year olds has fluctuated between about 36% and 44% since 2018 with no steady climb, and was 41% in 2024.
What percentage of Canadian youth use cannabis?
In 2024, about 41% of 16 to 19 year olds reported using cannabis in the past year. Note this age group includes 19 year olds, who are of legal age in most provinces.
Has heavy cannabis use among youth increased?
No. The share of users reporting daily or near-daily use has been roughly stable since 2018.
Sources & notes
The figures above come from Health Canada's national cannabis surveys, which track use year over year. We update this page as new data is released; always check the original source for the latest.
- Health Canada, Canadian Cannabis Survey 2024: Summary Past-year use among 16 to 19 year olds (41%) and the year-by-year figures since 2018.
- Health Canada, New data on cannabis use in Canada (2024) Stability in youth use and in daily or near-daily use since legalization.
- Robinson, Jutras-Aswad & Fischer, Impacts of cannabis legalization on adolescents in Canada (2024) Research review finding no dramatic increase in youth use attributable to legalization.
Sorting fact from fear
We fact-check the most common cannabis myths against the evidence.