About

The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey

Students

7–12

Grades

Schools

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  • ABOUT OSDUHS
  • 2015 OSDUHS reports

The 2015 OSDUHS Drug Use Report

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) is the longest ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada, and one of the longest in the world. The study has been conducted every two years since 1977, and thus consists of 20 survey cycles to date. A total of 10,426 students (59% of selected students in participating classes) in grades 7 through 12 from 43 school boards, 220 schools, and 750 classes participated in the 2015 OSDUHS, which was administered by the Institute for Social Research, York University.
This report describes the past year use of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, nonmedical (NM) use of prescription drugs, and other substances of concern, and changes since 1977. Trend results are provided for two analytical groups of students: those in grades 7 through 12, and those in grades 7, 9, and 11 only. The first group is used to assess drug use in 2015 and relatively recent trends (1999–2015), and the second is used to assess long-term trends (1977–2015). All data are based on self-reports derived from anonymous questionnaires administered in classrooms between November 2014 and June 2015.
MORE ON THE OSDUHS

2015 OSDUHS Reports

Detailed findings

Download your copy of the 2015 OSDUHS Detailed findings as a PDF.
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Highlights

Available in 2016.
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Past Year Use

2015

Significant Changes

In Past Year Drug Use
2013 2015
Prescription opioids 12.4% 10.0%
OTC cough/cold medication 9.7% 6.4%
Energy drinks 39.7% 34.8%
Ecstasy 3.3% 5.4%

Drug Overview

Electronic Cigarettes

Vaping
12%

Grades 7-12

Waterpipe

Hookah
8%

Grades 7-12

Alcohol

46%

of students report drinking in the past year

mixed alcohol with an energy drink in the past year
report binge drinking in the past month
report getting drunk in the past month
played drinking games in the past month*
report drinking hazardously in the past year*
could not remember their activities in the past year*
were injured or injured someone else because of their drinking in the past year*
are allowed to drink at home with their friends*

*Grades 9-12

Alcoholpast year use
G7
Grade 7: 8.6%
G8
Grade 8: 15.5%
G9
Grade 9: 33.8%
G10
Grade 10: 52.4%
G11
Grade 11: 67.0%
G12
Grade 12: 72.4%
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  • Drinking & Driving
  • Source of Alcohol
  • First Use
  • Long-Term TrendS
DRINKING & DRIVING
1977-2015
(AMONG Grade 11)
DRINKING & DRIVING versus CANNABIS use & DRIVING
1999–2015
(AMONG LICENSED GRADES 10, 11 & 12)
Note: In 1999 Cannabis and driving was not included.
USUAL SOURCE OF ALCOHOL AMONG UNDERAGE DRINKERS
2015
(UNDER AGE 19)
Note: the response options 'I bought it in a grocery store', 'I bought it at a public event' and 'I took it form somewhere else' are not shown due to supressed estimates (unreliability).
AVERAGE AGE AT FIRST TOBACCO CIGARETTE, ALCOHOLIC DRINK AND CANNABIS USE
1999-2015
(Grade 12)
LONG-TERM TRENDS FOR CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL, CANNABIS USE IN PAST YEAR
1977-2015
(Grades 7, 9 & 11)
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Cannabis

21%

of students report smoking cannabis in the past year

report using cannabis daily in the past month
have symptoms of cannabis dependence*
usually obtained cannabis from a friend
report vaping cannabis in the past year*

*Grades 9-12.

Cannabispast year use
G9
Grade 9: 10.3%
G10
Grade 10: 25.2%
G11
Grade 11: 35.1%
G12
Grade 12: 37.2%
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  • Cannabis & Driving
  • Source of Cannabis
  • First Use
  • Long-Term Trend
DRINKING & DRIVING versus CANNABIS use & DRIVING
1999–2015
(AMONG LICENSED GRADES 10, 11 & 12)
Note: In 1999 Cannabis and driving was not included.
USUAL SOURCE OF CANNABIS AMONG USERS
2015
(Grades 7–12)
Note: the response options 'I took it from home' and 'It was given to me by one of my parents' are not shown due to supressed estimates (unreliability).
AVERAGE AGE AT FIRST TOBACCO CIGARETTE, ALCOHOLIC DRINK, AND CANNABIS USE
1999-2015
(Grade 12)
LONG-TERM TRENDS in CIGARETTE, ALCOHOL and CANNABIS USE
1977-2015
(Grades 7, 9 & 11)
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Cigarettes

9%

of students report smoking cigarettes in the past year

report smoking daily in the past year
of smokers obtain cigarettes from friends or family
report smoking contraband cigarettes in the past year
report using smokeless tobacco in the past year
report using use electronic cigarettes in the past year
Cigarettespast year use
G9
Grade 9: 3.8%
G10
Grade 10: 10.7%
G11
Grade 11: 12.5%
G12
Grade 12: 15.3%
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  • Source of cigarettes
  • First Use
  • Long-Term Trend
Usual source of tobacco cigarettes among smokers
2015
(Grades 7–12)
Note: the response options 'over the Internet', 'Native Reserve,' and 'Another source not listed' are not shown due to supressed estimates (unreliability).
AVERAGE AGE AT FIRST TOBACCO CIGARETTE SMOKERS, FIRST ALCOHOLIC DRINK, AND FIRST CANNABIS USE
1999-2015
(Grade 12)
LONG-TERM TREND LINES FOR CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL, CANNABIS USE IN PAST YEAR
1977-2015
(Grades 7, 9 & 11)
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Long-Term Trends

1977-2015
(Grades 7, 9 & 11)