The rate of cannabis use in Quebec is starting to slowly decline almost a decade after it was legalized across the country, but the size of the drop depends on the age group.

Medical professionals say it’s not a surprise as public education of the drug has increased since legalization.

“I realize that there was a lot of hype when cannabis was legalized and we have done, and many others, a lot of education especially for young people as to the risks,” said Dr. Romina Mizrahi, a psychiatrist and director of the McGill Research Centre for Cannabis.

The numbers were reported in the Quebec Cannabis Survey, released Tuesday. It showed 17 per cent of people 15 and older in the province used cannabis in 2025, down from 18 per cent in 2024. It was at 14 per cent before legalization in 2018, but it’s lower from its height of 20 per cent in 2021.

The age ranges of those who used cannabis differ, with the 15 to 20 age group the only one to see lower usage last year compared to 2018. About 19 per cent used it in 2025, while 28 per cent said they used the drug in 2018.

By comparison, the rate of 21 to 34-year-olds increased from 29 per cent in 2018 just before legalization, to 38 per cent in 2021. It has slowly decreased since, hitting 30 per cent in 2025.

Mizrahi told Global News in an interview the relatively high percentage of those 21-34 still using cannabis shows more education needs to be done.

“That’s something that I think we need to work on,” she said. “To ensure that people understand that in many cases, I tell my patients, ‘If you’re going high to work, it’s like you’re drunk at work.’ You really don’t want to do that. That doesn’t mean that you don’t want to have a drink on the weekends with friends and that’s OK to do that, but really to go drunk to work is not really great and to use cannabis before work, it’s similar in many ways.”

A previous 2021 Canadian Cannabis Survey found seven per cent of people who said going to school was their main activity in the past week reported using cannabis before or at school weekly or more often.

The survey also found 11 per cent reported using the drug before or at work rarely, with four per cent using before or at work weekly or more often.

Professor Carolyn Baglole, a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, said in an interview other aspects, such as the availability of products other than cannabis, may also add to the rates among 21 to 34. This could include more accessibility for products like edibles and vaping.

She also noted that availability of vape products could also contribute to the study finding while youth aren’t using cannabis as often, vaping is on the rise.

“Vaping has increased substantially in the last few years amongst youth and young adults,” Baglole said. “That could include cannabis vaping or the use of nicotine-containing products.”

Baglole noted social media could also be having an impact on the shift, with the survey finding 18 per cent of the population 15 and older saw or heard cannabis advertising or marketing online. It also found 39 per cent of those 15 to 17 and 36 per cent of youth 18 to 20 were more likely to have been exposed to such advertising.

“When it comes to cannabis back in the day or marijuana back in the day, that simply wasn’t available,” she said. “So the use of social media influencers and the availability of information, especially to youth about vaping products.

“I hope it’s information that will continue to be collected because it’s difficult to police the internet in terms of the information that’s available.”

Not only did the survey show cannabis use on the decline, it also showed about 41 per cent of people in Quebec 15 and older used cannabis less than once a month in 2025 compared to 16 per cent who use it daily.

The survey also showed 70 per cent of users primarily use the Société québécoise du cannabis, the province’s legal retailer, for cannabis, while about 15 per cent obtain it from a legal source by travelling to another province.

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