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The Conservatives, largely against the proposed legislation, have been asking why the legal age is not higher, given the concerns some health professionals have about the impact on young, developing brains.

The Liberals have often responded by saying that Canadian youth consume cannabis at a higher rate than virtually anywhere else, so raising the minimum legal age any higher would do little to get the drug off the black market.

Do young Canadians really smoke more weed than anyone else on the planet?

Spoiler alert: The Canadian Press Baloney Meter is a dispassionate examination of political statements culminating in a ranking of accuracy on a scale of “no baloney” to “full of baloney” (complete methodology below).

This one earns a rating of “a little baloney.” Here’s why.

THE FACTS

Several cabinet ministers have made some version of this claim, with some, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, going so far as to say underage Canadians are using marijuana at a higher rate than kids anywhere else in the world.

Usually, like Petitpas Taylor, they add some nuance placing Canada near the top of the heap, and note this is a ranking among developed countries.

The Liberal government says it based the assertion on a 2013 report from UNICEF, which compared the well-being of children in 29 advanced countries. It found 28 per cent of Canadian youth age 11, 13 and 15 said they had used cannabis over the previous year, which was higher than any of the other countries in the report.