One out of 10 people admitted to hospital are there because of the impact of substance use on their health: new report

In 2024, there were almost 300,000 hospitalizations related to alcohol or drugs, representing 12% of all hospitalizations in Canada. The majority were related to the broad health effects of substance use including cancers, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, injuries, infectious diseases and other acute and chronic conditions, with only a small portion related to substance use disorders (addictions). This latest data is part of the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH) – Healthcare 2017-2024 report released today by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) in partnership with the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR).

Healthcare costs related to substance use reached $16.4 billion in 2024, with alcohol ($7.8 billion) and tobacco ($6.8 billion) accounting for 90% of the overall costs. Approximately 87% of adults in Canada reported using at least one psychoactive substance — such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opioids or other drugs — in the past year.

Opioid-related healthcare costs are rising the fastest. Although they account for 4.4% of overall costs, per-person costs increased by approximately 30% from 2017 to 2024. This likely reflects the impact of the toxic and unstable unregulated drug market, among other contributing factors.

“To put this into perspective, you do not need to have a substance use disorder for your health to be impacted by substance use,” says lead researcher Dr. Anat Ziv, Research and Policy Analyst at CCSA. “The hospitalizations and the $16.4 billion in healthcare costs show the scope of the costs and harms of substance use, which is essential to know for allocating resources effectively to meet the needs of people in Canada.”

The $16.4 billion includes: 

• Prescription medication ($4.9 billion); 
• In-patient hospitalizations ($4.6 billion); and 
• Physician time ($3.9 billion).

“Substance use is more than just a personal issue. It has wide social, economic and healthcare system impacts that are felt throughout communities across Canada,” says Dr. Adam Sherk, Senior Scientist and Special Policy Advisor at CCSA, Scientist at CISUR and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Victoria’s School of Public Health and Social Policy. “CSUCH data show the current situation and emerging trends. This allows policy makers and public health officials to develop and prioritize more effective responses to the impacts of substance use on our health.”

In addition to healthcare, the CSUCH project analyzes substance use costs across lost productivity (e.g., short- and long-term disability, premature deaths), criminal justice (e.g., policing, courts, correctional services) and other direct costs (e.g., social assistance, workers compensation). Those reports will be released later this year.

A webinar exploring the data will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Register here.

The CSUCH project, funded by Health Canada, supports a better understanding the societal economic costs and harms associated with substance use in Canada. Policy makers and public health officials can use the data to prioritize initiatives that target harms, monitor changing trends and measure the impacts of interventions over time. Researchers can use the data to identify information gaps, research needs and necessary refinements to national data reporting systems. More information and an online data visualization tool showing the new healthcare data are available at www.csuch.ca.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) was created by Parliament to provide national leadership to address substance use in Canada. A trusted counsel, we provide national guidance to decision makers by harnessing the power of research, curating knowledge and bringing together diverse perspectives. CCSA activities and products are made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views of CCSA do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

The Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), based at the University of Victoria, is a network of individuals and groups dedicated to the study of substance use and addiction in support of community-wide efforts to promote health and reduce harm. Their research is used to inform a broad range of projects, reports, publications and initiatives aimed at providing Canadians access to happier, healthier lives, whether they use substances or not. 

Media contacts: 

Christine LeBlanc, Senior Strategic Communications Advisor
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
613-898-6343 | cleblanc@ccsa.ca

Amanda Farrell-Low, Communications Officer
Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
250-853-3239 |  farlow@uvic.ca