Op-Ed: Toronto Lower Than National Average In Substance Abuse Study

A new study in Canada rated substance abuse across the country. Based on that study, Ontario is on the low end in the national average in terms of abuse. Toronto is also below the average in stats.

How did Canada as a whole fare? British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba on the western side and on the east side Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick all had higher than the national average of abuse cases. Along with Ontario Quebec and Prince Edward Island had lower abuse ratings than the national average. About 11% of Canadians struggle with abuse issues according to a new study conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The Geographical Variation in the Prevalence of Problematic Substance Abuse in Canada was published in July's issue of Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. The study studied that mid-sized cities have more cases of substance abuse than larger ones. Toronto is estimated at about 7.8% well below the national average. In the mid size communities though the percentage goes up to 12.6 a little higher than the national scope. One of the reasons that larger Canadian cities have lower averages of substance abuse is the immigrants that reside in them. For the most part immigrants tend to cluster near larger cities. Those coming to Canada for a better way of life tend to shun substances that are known for abuse.

The researchers have a number of explanations for their findings. "Major cities include large numbers of immigrants, among whom drug and alcohol problems are less common. 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," said Scott Veldhuizen, research analyst at CAMH, in a release.

Not surprising was the news that about 80% of Canadians over the age of 15 have had alcohol this past year. Compared to drinking though illegal drug indulgence was a mere 13 to 15percent. Nine per cent of these drinkers and 18 per cent of the drug users reported experiencing harmful side-effects, such as health problems, relationship issues, as well as financial, employment and legal problems Younger men tend to be the most likely substance abuser. The lower the education or income also plays a part with substance abuse. Alcohol dependence, for example, is estimated at 8.6 per cent among those aged 20 to 24, versus two per cent for those 35 and older. The study received back 77% of the surveys. The sample size that responded totaled to 36,984 households. The article also shows that areas that had readily available mental health centres had less abuse issues. My only question with the study is if marijuana was included in 'illegal drugs". There have been many reports about the use of that "drug" in the news and the 13 to 15% of the study that used illegal drugs in the last year does not seem to be accurate in light of other reports. There is the question though on if people are unaware that it is an illegal drug.