Why are Canadians so obsessed with weed?

I'm an immigrant and I'm genuinely curious about the reason why Canadians are so obsessed with the use of substance recreationally. Coming from a culture this is completely banned and culturally prohibited, it is mind boggling to see so many of my Canadians friends consume weed so frequently to deal with stress and commented positively about the use of weed. I know weed is not as addictive as nicotine but it sort of concerns me that whatever solution to any problems is smoking weed. Are most of you ok with relying on an external substance to cope with an internal issue? Sorry my question might be a bit harsh but I'm genuinely curious about this