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Marijuana Quick Facts

Marijuana Use and Production

• Cannabis is the most commonly used drug in Canada.
• 23.1% of Canadians reported using cannabis in there lifetime, with 7.4% using on a past-year basis (1994 statistics).
• Drug use is highest in British Columbia and lowest in Newfoundland (1994 statistics).
• Canada produces about 800 tons of illicit cannabis each year. About 60% is exported to the United States.

Marijuana and the Law

• Over 90% of Canadians support decriminalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
• As of December 2002, Health Canada has issued 477 authorizations to possess cannabis for medical purposes, 313 personal production licences, and 23 designated person licences.
• In 1997 there were 66,500 drug offences, with possession of cannabis accounting for almost half of those offences.
• The Canadian government spends more than $500 million annually enforcing drug laws.

Marijuana Laws in Other Countries

Marijuana and Health

• Long-term marijuana smoking is associated with injury to the trachea and major bronchi. Heavy, habitual consumption has been linked with bronchitis.
• Although a link between marijuana smoking and cancer has not been firmly established, there are case reports of cancers of the aerodigestive tract in young adults with a history of cannabis use.
• Cannabis use by pregnant women may affect the fetus. Maternal cannabis use has been linked to a shortened gestation period and low-birth-weight infants. The longer-term, post-natal consequences of maternal cannabis use appear to be subtle.