Summary
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. To date, the study is based on 19 survey cycles conducted every two years since 1977. A total of 10,272 students (63% of selected students in participating classes) in grades 7 through 12 from 42 school boards, 198 schools, and 671 classes participated in the 2013 OSDUHS, which was administered by the Institute for Social Research, York University. This report describes the past year use of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and the nonmedical (NM) use of specific prescription drugs, 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 2013 and relatively recent trends (1999-2013), and the second is used to assess long-term trends (1977-2013). All data are based on self-reports derived from anonymous questionnaires administered in classrooms between November 2012 and June 2013.