B.C. RESIDENTS ABUSE DRUGS, ALCOHOL MORE THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE

Saskatchewan Has Highest Rate Of Any Province, While Large Urban
Areas Lower Than Rural

B.C. residents are more apt to have problems with alcohol and illicit
drugs than their counterparts in Central Canada, a new study by the
Toronto-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found.

But drug and alcohol abuse isn't worst in the major population
centres. Small towns have the highest rates.

About 11 per cent of Canadians have substance abuse and liquor
problems, the study found.

The incidence in B.C. was nearly two percentage points higher, with
almost 13 per cent abusing alcohol and drugs.

But Vancouver scored lower than the provincial average, with 10.8 per
cent abusing drugs and alcohol.

Montreal, with 7.8 per cent, and Toronto, with an 8.1-per-cent abuse
rate, scored lowest among cities. Provincially, Quebec and Ontario
scored about 8.5 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

"Major cities include large numbers of immigrants, among whom drug
and alcohol problems are less common," said lead author Scott
Veldhuizen, a research analyst at the centre. "People who decide to
come to Canada, and are accepted, tend to be healthy and
high-functioning, and some immigrant cultures also reject alcohol and
drug use," he said.

But the study found specific areas in major cities might be much
worse than the average.

"Despite their overall low rates, Toronto and Montreal contain areas
of high prevalence. This may be related to neighbourhood differences
in deprivation and disorganization," the study said.

Western and Atlantic Canada were areas where drug abuse was worse
than in Ontario and Quebec, averaging out at 12 per cent and higher.

Saskatchewan was the province with the highest problem rate -- 14 per cent.

Differences in the availability of alcohol or illicit drugs, the
accessibility of treatment, and local culture and policies were all
factors, the study found.

"The pattern of large-scale differences is probably part of a larger
disparity among regions in Canada," Veldhuizen said. "Research has
already shown that levels of crime and other social problems are
somewhat higher in western Canada, and this may be part of the same pattern."

There may be other factors, including latitude, Veldhuizen added.
"There is already some evidence of a link with depression, which
often occurs with substance use problems."

The researchers analysed data from Statistics Canada's 2002 Canadian
Community Health Survey of some 85,000 households.

RATES ACROSS CANADA

Percentage of population engaging in drug and alcohol abuse:

Vancouver 10.8

Montreal 7.8

Toronto 8.1

British Columbia 13.0

Canada 11.0

Source: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health