Timiskaming Health Stats

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1 Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area Released ebruary Released 14 July 14 Introduction This report presents the percentage of residents aged 12 years and older who have ever used illicit drugs and the types of drugs used. The size of the drug-using population and the pattern of drug use are only two indicators of the potential harm caused by drug use or misuse. 1 A host of factors determine whether use of a drug will cause individual or societal harm. 1 ven when the size of the drug-using population is stable or declining, the pattern of drug use among users and associated harm can vary dramatically over time. 1 Drug misuse can seriously impact physical and mental health, personal relationships and public safety. 2 Lifetime drug use Overall lifetime drug use In, 41.4% of residents have used an illicit drug in their lifetime. This rate was not statistically different from s rate of 39.8% (igure 1). igure 1: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used drugs, This indicator was created using self-reported data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). 3 Survey respondents were asked whether or not they have ever used any illicit drug in their lifetime or in the past 12 months. Illicit drugs included marijuana, hashish, cocaine, crack, amphetamines, ecstasy or other similar drugs, hallucinogens, sniffing glue or other solvents, heroin, and steroids such as testosterone, dianabol or growth hormones. This indicator does not address non-medical use of prescription drugs. Information about interpreting data in this report and about data sources can be found at the end of this report. Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area 1

2 Lifetime drug use by age In, both youth and seniors had a lower rate of ever using drugs compared to adults (the two middle age groups). More specifically, 17.% of youth aged 12 to 19 years and 7.3% of seniors aged 65 years and older have used drugs in their lifetime compared to 66.8% of residents aged to 44 years and 47.% aged 45 to 64 years. In, each age group was statistically different from each other (igure 2). The only statistical difference between and by age occurred in the to 44 year age group where 66.8% of residents had used drugs compared to 51.6% of residents. igure 2: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used drugs, by age, * to & over Age in years * Statistically different from Lifetime drug use by sex In, there was no statistical difference for ever using drugs between males, 41.9%, and females, 4.9%. However, in, more males (45.6%) than females (34.4%) used drugs in their lifetime. There were no statistical differences between males and females by location (igure 3). igure 3: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used drugs, by sex, Male * 4.9 emale 34.4 *Statistically higher than females 2 Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area

3 Lifetime drug use by income In, residents in the highest income category had a higher percentage of ever using drugs compared to those in the two lower income groups. More specifically, 51.% of residents in the highest income category ($5, and over) reported ever using drugs, compared to 36.3% in the $, to $49, category and 3.% for those who earned less than $,. In, the ranking of ever using drugs, from highest to lowest, was the highest income group (43.2%), followed by the lowest income group (37.6%) and finally the middle income group (32.9%). There were no statistical differences when comparing rates for each income group to s rates (igure 4). igure 4: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used drugs, by income, * Less than $, $, to $49,999 Income 51.* 43.2* ǂ $5, and over * Statistically different than the lowest income category of the same location ǂ Statistically higher than the middle income category of the same location Lifetime drug use by education In this section, people 25 years of age or older are grouped by their education level. The three education groups are: did not complete high school, have a high school degree or some of a post secondary degree and, completed a trade certificate, college diploma or university degree. In, a higher percentage of residents with the highest education level reported using drugs over their lifetime compared to those with lower education levels. In, 52.9% of residents who attained a postsecondary degree have ever used drugs, which was statistically higher than both the 32.2% of those with high school and some postsecondary and 25.6% of those without high school (igure 5). In, a similar relationship was found where those who did not complete high school had a lower rate of ever using drugs, 27.5%, compared to 41.3% of people who completed high school and have some postsecondary and 42.7% of those who have a postsecondary degree. Compared to, more residents with a postsecondary degree have used drugs in their lifetime. Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area 3

4 igure 5: of people aged 25 years and older who have ever used drugs, by education, * ǂ Less than high school High school and some postsecondary Highest level of education attained * Statistically different from Statistically higher than all other education levels of the same location ǂ Statistically lower than all other education levels of the same location Postsecondary degree Lifetime drug use by Aboriginal population The Aboriginal population in this report includes persons aged 12 years and over who self-identified as North American Indian, Métis or Inuit but who do not live on an Indian Reserve. In, there were no statistical differences between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal population who have ever used drugs (igure 6). However, in, 61.8% of the Aboriginal population reported ever using drugs, which was statistically higher than the 43.4% of non- Aboriginal population. igure 6: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used drugs, by Aboriginal population, * Aboriginals * Statistically different from non-aborignal 43.4 Non-Aboriginals Lifetime drug use by rancophone population rancophone was defined as the first language learned and still understood. There were no statistical differences between rancophones and non-rancophones in drug use in residents, however, in, 46.% of rancophones used drugs before, which was statistically higher than 4.7% of non-rancophones (igure 7). igure 7: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used drugs, by rancophone population, * 4.7 rancophones * Statistically different from non- rancophones 39.4 Non-rancophones 4 Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area

5 Drug types lifetime igure 8 depicts drug types that were ever tried by and residents 12 years and over. More residents used cannabis (41.3%) in their lifetime compared to cocaine or crack (5.8% ), hallucinogens (4.2% ) or amphetamines (3.4% ). Other types of drugs such as 3,4-methylenefiosy-Nmethulamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy), sniffed glue or other solvents, heroin and steroids had too small of a sample size in to produce a useable estimate, however, their rates for are noted in igure 8. There were no statistical differences in drug use between and for any of types of drugs in igure 8. igure 8: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used an illicit drug, by drug type, 9-1 & Cannabis Cocaine or crack Hallucinogens Amphetamine (speed) MDMA (ecstasy) 4. Sniffed glue or other solvents.6 Heroin.5 Steroids.5 stimate failed because sample size was too small Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area 5

6 Cannabis use Lifetime In, 41.3% of residents have used cannabis at least once in their lifetime. This rate was not statistically different from s rate of 39.1%. Cannabis use by age lifetime In, both youth and seniors had a lower rate of ever using cannabis compared to adults aged to 64. More specifically, 17.% of youth aged 12 to 19 years and 7.3% of seniors aged 65 years and older have used cannabis in their lifetime compared to 66.6% of residents aged to 44 years and 47.% aged 45 to 64 years. In, each age group was statistically different from each other (igure 9). The only statistical difference between and by age occurred in the to 44 year age group where 66.6% of residents used cannabis compared to 51.% of residents. igure 9: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used cannabis, by age, 9-1 & * to & over Age in years * Statistically different from Cannabis use by sex - lifetime In, there was no statistical difference for ever using cannabis between males, 41.7%, and females, 4.9%. However, in, more males (44.9%) than females (34.%) used cannabis in their lifetime (igure 1). There was a statistical difference between and by sex whereby a larger percentage of females in used cannabis compared to females. igure 1: of people aged 12 years and older who have ever used cannabis, by sex, 9-1 & Male * 4.9 *Statistically higher than females emale Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area

7 Health Stats Cannabis use past 12 months Mood Disorders in the Health Unit Area In, 6.6% of residents have used cannabis in the past 12 months, which was statistically lower than the 11.5% of residents. Cannabis use by sex past 12 months In, there was no statistical difference for using cannabis in the past 12 months between males, 6.9%, and females, 6.4%. However, in, more males (14.9%) than females (8.2%) used cannabis in the last 12 months (igure 11). There was a statistical difference between and by sex whereby a lower percentage of males in used cannabis in the past 12 months compared to males. igure 11: of people aged 12 years and older who have used cannabis in the past 12 months, by sex, 9-1 & Male * emale *Statistically higher than females How to interpret these data Since the CCHS only surveys a small proportion of the population, these analyses combined several years of data to increase sample sizes and improve the precision of estimates. Instances where sample sizes remained small are noted with an, which means these data must be interpreted with caution. When sample sizes are too small for the results to be released it is indicated with an. In this report a statistical difference is one that is likely not due to chance alone; more specifically that there is only a one in twenty chance that the difference is not true. Smaller sample sizes, as often seen in, make it more difficult to detect statistical differences as there is more uncertainty around the precision of the estimate. Reference to means the Health Unit area, which includes the District of and the Municipality of Temagami. Northeastern includes the following health unit catchment areas: Algoma, North Bay-Parry Sound, Porcupine, Sudbury and District and. About this data source The CCHS is a cross sectional survey by Statistics Canada which collects health information about the Canadian population. It surveys a large number of respondents and is designed to provide reliable estimates at the health region level. CCHS data are collected from persons aged 12 and over living in private dwellings. The survey excludes individuals living on Indian Reserves and on Crown lands, institutional residents, full-time members of the Canadian orces, and residents of certain remote regions. or more information, visit Data in this report will be updated in late 15 pending Statistics Canada release of new CCHS data Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area 7

8 References 1. Boak, A., Hamilton, H. A., Adlaf,. M., & Mann, R.. (13). Drug use among students, : Detailed OSDUHS findings (CAMH Research Document Series No. 36). Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. 2. Government of Canada. (13). Drugs of Abuse and Addiction. Retrieved from: 3. Canadian Community Health Survey 9-1, Statistics Canada, Share iles, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. 8 Health Stats Drug Use in the Health Unit Area