It’s no secret that many dabble in cannabis during their college years—but just how prevalent is cannabis use in universities today? Canada’s Maclean’s magazine asked that question as part of its annual student survey and this week published the results. They reveal not only how often Canadian university students consume, but also which students—by school or subject—consume most.
Nearly two-thirds, or 63%, of the more 22,000 college students who responded to the survey have never consumed cannabis, while 2% of the respondents identified themselves as daily consumers. All the responses were self-reported.
Among the schools surveyed, Bishop’s University in Quebec was the top cannabis-consuming school in Canada. According to Maclean’s, 60% of students surveyed there said they have consumed cannabis before.
Coming in second was St. Francis Xavier University, with 56% of students saying they consume cannabis. Acadia University was third, with 53% of students saying they have tried cannabis. Both schools are located in Nova Scotia.
Leading the nation’s universities in terms of daily consumers: Acadia University, at 8%, or nearly four times the national average.
| School | Less than once a year | Less than once a month | About once a month | A few times a month | A few ties a week | Daily | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop's University | 14% | 15% | 7% | 12% | 6% | 6% | 60% |
| St. Francis Xavier University | 10% | 13% | 8% | 13% | 10% | 2% | 56% |
| Acadia University | 12% | 13% | 4% | 11% | 5% | 8% | 53% |
| Dalhousie University | 13% | 13% | 8% | 7% | 4% | 5% | 50% |
| University of Victoria | 12% | 15% | 7% | 9% | 5% | 2% | 49% |
| Queen's University | 13% | 13% | 8% | 8% | 5% | 1% | 48% |
| McGill University | 12% | 14% | 7% | 10% | 3% | 3% | 47% |
| Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) | 19% | 9% | 5% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 45% |
| Concordia University (Montreal) | 13% | 11% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 45% |
| University of New Brunswick | 11% | 15% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 1% | 45% |
| Mount Allison University | 13% | 12% | 3% | 8% | 5% | 3% | 44% |
| Carleton University | 12% | 11% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 2% | 43% |
| St. Thomas University | 13% | 10% | 3% | 7% | 5% | 4% | 42% |
| University of Guelph | 11% | 11% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 41% |
| Wilfrid Laurier University | 11% | 10% | 3% | 8% | 6% | 3% | 41% |
| Trent University | 12% | 12% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 41% |
| Western University | 10% | 13% | 5% | 6% | 5% | 2% | 41% |
| University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) | 12% | 10% | 7% | 4% | 5% | 0% | 39% |
| Nipissing University | 13% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 2% | 3% | 39% |
| Lakehead University | 14% | 9% | 4% | 5% | 2% | 5% | 39% |
| University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) | 15% | 7% | 1% | 8% | 6% | 2% | 38% |
| Brock University | 13% | 11% | 3% | 6% | 3% | 2% | 38% |
| Saint Mary's University | 10% | 15% | 1% | 6% | 3% | 2% | 37% |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | 11% | 12% | 2% | 7% | 2% | 3% | 36% |
| The University of British Columbia (UBC) | 9% | 13% | 5% | 5% | 2% | 2% | 36% |
| The University of Winnipeg | 10% | 9% | 2% | 2% | 5% | 7% | 35% |
| McMaster University | 11% | 12% | 3% | 6% | 2% | 1% | 35% |
| Mount Saint Vincent University | 8% | 8% | 1% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 35% |
| Laurentian University | 11% | 10% | 3% | 7% | 1% | 2% | 34% |
| Université de Sherbrooke | 12% | 12% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 34% |
| University of Lethbridge | 10% | 10% | 3% | 5% | 2% | 4% | 34% |
| Université de Montréal | 11% | 12% | 1% | 7% | 0% | 3% | 34% |
| Université Laval | 16% | 10% | 3% | 4% | 2% | 1% | 34% |
| Ryerson University | 9% | 10% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 33% |
| Cape Breton University | 8% | 10% | 8% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 33% |
| University of Ottawa | 9% | 10% | 3% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 33% |
| University of Waterloo | 9% | 9% | 4% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 32% |
| University of Saskatchewan | 12% | 9% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 32% |
| Université de Moncton | 11% | 8% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 29% |
| University of Alberta | 10% | 10% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 29% |
| University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) | 10% | 8% | 2% | 4% | 3% | 1% | 29% |
| York University | 7% | 11% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 29% |
| Brandon University | 9% | 8% | 4% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 28% |
| University of Windsor | 13% | 4% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 28% |
| University of Toronto | 10% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 2% | 1% | 28% |
| University of Calgary | 12% | 7% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 27% |
| University of Regina | 12% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 27% |
| University of Manitoba | 8% | 7% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 24% |
| Simon Fraser University | 10% | 7% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 24% |
The Maclean’s survey also organized the use data by what programs students were studying. The top three disciplines in which students had ever in their lifetimes consumed cannabis were philosophy, environmental science, and economics.
| Program | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | 57% |
| Environmental science | 56% |
| Economics | 55% |
| International relations | 53% |
| Sociology | 52% |
| Political science | 51% |
| Design | 51% |
| Journalism | 50% |
| Art | 49% |
| Business | 47% |
| Architecture | 45% |
| Psychology | 45% |
| English | 44% |
| Engineering | 44% |
| Criminology | 44% |
| Agriculture | 43% |
| History | 42% |
| Law | 42% |
| Computer Science | 42% |
| Neuroscience | 42% |
| Anthropology | 42% |
| Medicine | 42% |
| Chemistry | 41% |
| Kinesiology | 40% |
| Music | 40% |
| Animal Science | 40% |
| Math | 38% |
| Pharmacy | 38% |
| Education | 36% |
| Linguistics | 29% |
