NATION AT ALL-TIME HIGH

More Canucks, Especially Young, Toking, Shooting Up, Drinking

THE NUMBER of young Canadians smoking pot and injecting drugs has
doubled over the last decade, according to a groundbreaking national
study. The Canadian Addiction Survey also paints a disturbing picture
of heavy drinking among young people aged 15 to 24.

The soaring numbers prompted officials from Health Canada, Canadian
Executive Council on Addictions Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse,
which oversaw the survey, to admit previous prevention campaigns had
failed.

"We have to find out what these prevention campaigns were. In fact, we
don't feel they have been very effective," said Michel Perron, of the
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

"Now we have the opportunity to make young people aware, once more, of
the dangers inherent to use."

Over the last year 14% of Canadians said they smoked pot, compared to
7.4% in 1994. Overall, 45.5% of Canadians said they smoked pot
sometime in their lives -- almost double the number a decade ago.

Injected Drugs

Ten years ago, the survey showed 1.7 million Canadians had injected
drugs at least once. This year it's estimated 4.1 million can make
that claim.

The report also shows that when it comes to alcohol, 79.3% of
Canadians over the age of 15 said they drink, with 44% doing so on a
weekly basis.

"(In 2004) drinking rates peak among youth 18 to 24 years of age, with
about 90% of people in that age range consuming alcohol during the
course of the year," the report states.

Justice Minister Irwin Cotler insisted decriminalizing possession of
small amounts of pot will not increase the number of people who toke.
He's also hoping that the renewed prevention programs will have better
success than in the past.

"If we don't try, we'll never know," he said.

Strategy Failing

Conservative justice critic Vic Toews said rising rates of abuse are
an indictment of federal drug policy, including the planned easing of
marijuana laws and the establishment of safe injection sites.

"Certainly the Liberal drug strategy is failing," he said. "I am
concerned about the decriminalization of marijuana or any other drug.

"I am concerned that the government has not put forward a national
strategy to deal with the whole issue of addictions."

Addiction specialists still see alcohol abuse as the greater
problem.

Ed Adlaf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health said alcohol is
the greatest concern because it affects the most people. He said about
20% of adults are drinking hazardously.

[Sidebar]

HIGH-LIGHTS

By CP

Some highlights from the Canada Addiction Survey, released
yesterday:

- - 44.5% of Canadians reported using cannabis at least once in their
life, compared with 28.2% in 1994.

- - 45% reported using some illegal drug at least once, up from 28.5% in
1994.

- - 14.1% reported using cannabis in the last year, up from 7.4%in
1994.

- - 50.1% of males used cannabis at least once in a lifetime.

- - 39.2% of women used cannabis at least once.

- - 79.3% of Canadians reported using alcohol in the last
year.

- - 7.3% said they were lifelong teetotallers.

- - 13.7% said they were former drinkers and had not used alcohol in the
last year.

- - 20.2% reported heavy drinking at least once a month.