• The Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSADS) is a school-based survey conducted every two years on behalf of Health Canada with students in grades 7 to 12 (Secondary 1 through 5 in Quebec) across Canadian provinces.
• The survey collects information on youth alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use, as well as other health-related topics, such as bullying and self-rated physical and mental health.
• The survey is one of Canada’s longest-running studies on student substance use, starting in 1994 as the Youth Smoking Survey. It was renamed the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey in 2014 and adopted its current name in 2021. Over three decades, it has tracked trends and behaviour changes among youth, providing insights to help governments and communities address emerging challenges.
• The Canadian survey research firm CCI Research Inc. has been contracted to administer the 2025-2026 cycle of CSADS.

• Adolescence is a crucial time when kids and teens begin experimenting with alcohol and drugs. Understanding their habits at this stage helps guide the development of better support systems, prevention strategies, and resources to reduce risky behaviours and harm among Canadian youth. Ongoing monitoring also allows for quick action on emerging trends, like vaping.
• School-aged children and youth are generally recognized as at risk for experimenting with alcohol and drugs. This is a meaningful project for Canadian youth!
• Results from the 2025-2026 survey will be released in 2027. Key findings from the 2023-2024 survey include:
  
  • Alcohol continued to be the most commonly used substance among Canadian students in grades 7 to 12, followed by vape products and cannabis.
  • On average, Canadian students in grades 7 to 12 first tried alcohol at 13 years old and cannabis at 14 years old.
  • Overall, 15% of students in grades 7 to 12 reported past 30-day use of any vape, with 14% using vapes with nicotine, and 4% using vapes without nicotine.
  • Students were asked about the use of specific prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs for non-recommended purposes (including non-medical reasons or reasons other than those intended by a healthcare provider). Prescription medications include ADHD medication, sedatives, and opioids. Over-the-counter drugs include sleeping aids, stimulants, cold and cough medicine, Gravol®, and non-prescription codeine. A total of 8% of students reported a lifetime use of using prescription medication to get high, with 6% reporting using in the past 12 months.
  • Opioids were the most common type of prescription medication used to get high in the past 12 months (5% overall), followed by sedatives (2%) and ADHD medication (2%).
  • 26% of students thought it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get prescription pain relievers, and 35% thought the same about ADHD medications.
  • Low-dose codeine was the most common over-the-counter medication used by students to get high in the past 12 months (7%), followed by dextromethorphan (6%), and sleeping medications at 5%.
  • 7% of students had used an illegal drug in the past 12 months. The most common were hallucinogens (4%), synthetic cannabinoids (4%), and ecstasy (1%).

  (Source: taken from https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-use/csads/)

• Youth substance use is a pressing concern due to its lifelong impacts on health, safety, and education. As youth behaviours, attitudes, and access to substances evolve quickly, it is critical to have up-to-date information to respond effectively to these challenges. The main objective of the Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSADS) is to provide the evidence needed to drive informed decision-making and to stay ahead of emerging issues.
• The survey achieves this by collecting comprehensive data on the alcohol and drug use behaviours of students in grades 7 through 12 (Secondary 1 through 5) across the provinces every two years. Since its inception in 1994, it has become one of the largest student substance use surveys in the world and Health Canada’s key resource for understanding youth substance use. Information from the survey is used to inform policies, programs, and strategies that address risky behaviours and promote healthier and safer communities, ultimately to improve the well-being of Canadian youth.

• The study population includes a representative sample of at least 36,000 youth, or approximately 6,000 students in each of grades 7 to 12 (Secondary 1 to 5 in Quebec) in all provinces in Canada.

• The survey gathers key information on youth alcohol, cannabis, and drug use. Students are asked about how often and in what ways they use these substances, when they first tried them, how easy they are to access, and the influence of friends. The survey also includes questions on bullying and self-reported physical and mental health. This helps provide a clearer understanding of youth substance use patterns and their overall well-being.
• In 2025-2026, younger students will answer fewer questions. All students will be asked about alcohol, cannabis, smoking, vaping, risk behaviours, bullying, and self-rated health, but only students in grades 9 to 12 will be asked about medications, opioids, and other drugs. This change reduces the survey’s length and sensitivity for younger students.
• Demographic information is also collected to help analyze and compare responses across different groups.This allows us to understand how substance use varies among different populations and helps ensure the survey results reflect the experiences of all groups. Different groups may use substances at different rates or need different types of support.

Each school will appoint a School Administrator for the survey. CCI Research will provide each School Administrator with the support required, including instructions, training, and the survey materials. Schools will be asked to:

• Assign a staff member as the School Administrator to act as the main contact and oversee the survey at school.
• Communicate about the survey to the school staff, students, and parents/guardians, using materials and templates CCI Research provides, including permission forms.
• On a date selected by the school, administer the survey to students, by paper or online, during a 35- to 40-minute period in the classroom, under the supervision of a teacher. The survey itself is expected to take about 20-30 minutes for students to complete.
• For paper surveys, return completed surveys to CCI Research using the prepaid return label included.
• Provide feedback on the process via an online form to help improve future surveys.

• This project has been reviewed by Health Canada's Research Ethics Board.
• The survey is also available for ministries, schools, and school boards/districts/divisions to review before agreeing to support the project.
• As per school board/district/division protocols, parents/guardians and students are asked to provide permission/consent before participating in the project. Student participation is voluntary, and they can choose to refuse, withdraw, or skip any question without penalty.

• It is not expected that students will face any risks from participating in the survey, although they may encounter topics that are new or unfamiliar.
• Since substance use is generally part of the school health curriculum, schools are encouraged to incorporate the survey into discussions on these subjects.
• If a student provides additional information on the survey that suggests they, or another student, may be at risk of harm, there is an obligation to report it. However, the survey is not linked to student names and it may not be possible to identify them.

• The survey's permission and consent procedures align with the requirements established by school boards/districts/divisions and individual schools.
• Students in grades 7-12 who have obtained parental consent, or who are of the age of consent and have personally agreed to participate, are eligible to complete the survey.
• Parent permission/consent procedures can be administered in one of three ways:
  
  • Passive Consent Procedure: The school distributes an information letter describing the survey along with an opt-out form to students and their parents/guardians. If parents/guardians do not want their child to participate in the survey, they must complete the opt-out form either online or on paper or call a toll-free number. Students who are of age to provide consent, as defined by provincial or school board policies, can independently decide whether to participate in the survey.
  • Active Consent Procedure: The school distributes an information letter describing the survey along with a permission form to students and their parents/guardians. If parents/guardians agree to allow their child to participate, they must complete the permission form either online or, if preferred by the school, submit a hard copy to the child’s teacher. Students must have a completed permission form to participate.
  • Student Consent: Student participation is voluntary, and any student can refuse to take part in the survey, withdraw, or decline to answer survey questions at any time with no penalty, even if previous consent to participate has been granted. Students who do not participate in the survey are asked to work quietly at their desks while other students complete the survey.

• Answers to the survey questionnaire are confidential. Students are instructed not to include their names or any personal identifying details or messages on the survey. The paper survey consists of questions that require only the filling in of bubbles, ensuring that penmanship or other characteristics cannot be used to identify students. Consequently, no student names will appear with, or be linked to, the answers provided on the survey. Additional procedures to protect privacy are detailed below.
• After completing the paper survey, each student will confidentially place their survey directly into a classroom envelope. At the end of the class, the envelope will be sealed in front of the class before it is returned to the School Administrator to send to CCI Research for processing. Any surveys completed online will be submitted directly to CCI Research and securely stored. All results generated from the survey data collected will only be reported in groups (e.g., by grade, sex) to ensure confidentiality of all participating students.
• The school results will be provided to participating schools in a grouped form so long as at least 20 completed surveys were received for their school.

• The list of schools that participate will not be published.
• Although schools will receive a school report for internal information if they have at least 20 completed surveys from their school, school results will not otherwise be shared.
• Schools will not be identified in the public release data set produced.

The survey will provide Health Canada, each province, schools, communities, and parents with timely and reliable data on alcohol and drug use in addition to other related issues. The potential benefits of participating are far-reaching:

• For the country:

  • Shape public health policies

    As part of the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy, the survey helps policy makers at all levels of government monitor trends in youth substance use, providing a foundation for evaluating and updating policies and designing preventive programs that reflect current behaviours and harms.

  • Advance equity in health

    The survey includes data on equity-deserving groups, offering breakdowns by race, sex and disability status, among others. This inclusive approach can help highlight the specific needs of different communities, enabling more tailored and effective health and educational programs.

  • Inform research priorities

    The findings from the survey support ongoing substance use research and help set priorities based on emerging trends, enabling the development of research initiatives that target the most pressing areas of youth substance use across Canada.

• For schools:

  • Enhance school programs and interventions

    Participating schools gain access to valuable, school-specific reports at the end of each data collection cycle. These reports may be used for internal purposes by applicable administrators or staff to tailor health education programs and health strategies to reflect the actual needs and risks faced by their students, making programs more responsive to the school’s context. The school reports show provincial and national benchmark results from the previous survey (as applicable) along with school-specific results where there are at least 20 student respondents.

  • Identify gaps in resources and support

    Data from the survey can also help in identifying areas where resources and support are most needed. Detailed statistics on student substance use across sociodemographic groups may help identify gaps in prevention, support services, and mental health resources specific to each school’s population.

  • Monitor progress and track effectiveness

    By participating in the survey, schools contribute to the measurement of trends in substance use patterns over time. This can assist in assessing the effectiveness of implemented programs and policies, adjusting strategies as needed, and ensuring continuous improvement in creating safer and healthier school environments.

• For parents and teachers:
  • This survey provides an opportunity to talk with children and students about alcohol and drug use, as well as other health-related issues such as bullying.
• For provinces:
  • Survey results can help provincial governments and public health officials identify areas of concern and emerging trends which are used in developing and improving programs and policies that will make a positive difference.

• For more information about the survey, including FAQs and a copy of the questionnaire, please visit www.csads.ca.
• CCI Research has also prepared a detailed project description in a project protocol, which is available to provinces, school boards/districts/divisions, and schools upon request.

• The survey is set to be conducted again during the 2025-2026 school year by CCI Research, the Canadian firm contracted by Health Canada.

• We are contacting Ministries, School Boards/Districts/Divisions, and Schools to seek support, which is crucial to the success of this year’s survey. Specifically:

  • Ministries: We are requesting your formal support for the project in your province, including permission to approach school boards/districts/divisions. If you support the project, we would only ask for three items from your office: 1) a signed letter of support to confirm Ministry backing to the boards; 2) a list of schools by board, including basic information such as student numbers by grade and sex, to help us verify our sampling plan; and 3) contact information for the school boards and schools in the sample
  • School Boards/Districts/Divisions: One or more schools in your area have been randomly selected to participate in the survey to ensure we hear from a representative and diverse group of students. The project is funded by Health Canada and has received permission from your provincial Ministry of Education. We are now seeking your support to move forward, which would involve allowing us to approach the selected schools, signing a letter of support, and assisting with recruiting the schools to participate.
  • Schools: A sample of schools has been randomly selected to participate in the survey to ensure we hear from a representative and diverse group of students. The project is funded by Health Canada and has received permission from your provincial Ministry of Education and school board/district/division (where applicable). We are seeking support of selected schools to participate in the 2025-2026 survey, which would include appointing a staff member as the “School Administrator” to work with CCI Research in administering the survey. Our team has extensive experience with this survey and will provide detailed instructions, training, and ongoing support to ensure minimal disruption to your staff.