Cannabis use rises in Quebec but falls among teenagers, report finds

A growing number of Quebecers are using cannabis since legalization, according to a new report, though use among teenagers is declining.

The Institut de la statistique du Québec announced Tuesday that one in six Quebecers reported using cannabis in 2025. That’s up from about one in seven in 2018, the year before legalization.

But that increase was not evenly distributed across age groups.

Use among those aged 15 to 20 fell to 19 per cent in 2025 from 28 per cent in 2018, making them the only group to show a sustained decline. And by contrast, use rose among adults after legalization, particularly among those over 35, where rates remained above pre-legalization levels.

Romina Mizrahi, a psychiatry professor at McGill University, said there is no single explanation for the shift. She pointed to evolving social habits, public health messaging and changing consumption patterns.

“I think it’s part of newer generational trends,” Mizrahi said, adding that younger people may be socializing differently, like spending more time online and less time in environments traditionally associated with substance use.

Vaping cannabis has also increased as a method of consumption. And this is particularly the case among younger users. 

Among users 15 to 20 years of age, those vaping cannabis rose from 24 per cent in 2019 to 64 per cent in 2025. 

Most reported, however, doing so only occasionally: roughly three-quarters say they vaped three days a month or less, according to the report.

“We don’t really know whether people are actually changing from one form of cannabis use to another,” Mizrahi said.

Overall, smoking remained the dominant method. Nearly four in five users reported it as their primary mode of consumption in 2025 across age groups.

About 4.7 per cent of Quebecers said they had vaped cannabis in the past year.

Other indicators suggest a maturing legal market, she added.

She cited how the province’s state-run retailer, the Société québécoise du cannabis, for example, accounts for about 70 per cent of cannabis sales, suggesting a continued shift away from the illicit market.

Employees at the SQDC are trained to advise customers on potency and risk, including levels of THC, she said.

Still, she emphasized that cannabis carries risks. Early use has been linked to an increased risk of psychosis, which involves a loss of contact with reality including paranoia and hallucinations, she said, as well as potential effects on mood, anxiety and suicidal ideation.

“These effects don’t happen to everyone,” she said. “But the problem is we cannot identify who is at risk.

“It’s like alcohol. Having a beer is one thing. Drinking vodka before going to work is another.”

The post Cannabis use rises in Quebec but falls among teenagers, report finds appeared first on Montreal Gazette.