education
Accuracy matters in drug education
By Perry Kendall, Published: Times ColonistRe: "Pre-teens target of gangsters," April 24.
The best way to prevent drug use in children and youth includes providing accurate information to both parents and children.
Child and youth rates of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use dropped significantly between 2003 and 2008. Rates of use of amphetamines (including crystal meth) dropped from four per cent to two per cent.
However, surveys also showed that the younger a child was when they first tried alcohol, the more likely they were to have subsequently tried marijuana and amphetamines.
Abbotsford schools 'front runner' in using sniffer dogs
By Vikki Hopes - Abbotsford News Published: Aldergrove StarDrug-detection dogs have been sniffing their way around Abbotsford schools in a process the school district says is meant to be a prevention tool.
The board of education reinstated the use of the dogs this school year to conduct random sweeps. So far, searches have been conducted at one middle and six secondary schools. No drugs were found.
Sweeps were last done in the 2005-06 school year, but were halted when the private company contracted for the work had some of its dogs stolen.
'Just say no' approach ineffective at drug addiction prevention
OTTAWA — A national youth and student drug reform organization says young Canadians don't put much stock in the federal government's anti-drug approach, so it has created a new website it says may better educate young people about the risks they take by using drugs.
Canadian Students for a Sensible Drug Policy designed www.not4me.org, which it says moves away from the government's "just say no" approach, which it calls ineffective.
"One of the biggest failings of previous youth drug education programs is that young people don't take them seriously," said Caleb Chepesiuk, CSSDP staff member.
Young people want drug education that works
By Caleb Chepesiuk, Vancouver SunColin Mangham's response to a call for ending drug prohibition (Letters, March 29) is troubling. Drug abuse is bad, but Mangham's argument is worse.
He points to "legalizers" as the sole reason that prohibition policies have failed to deter youth drug use. Wrong. Youth drug use has risen since the criminal prohibition of substances began because the "prohibitors" have tried to shame and scare young people, instead of providing honest, health-based information on drugs.
Read more »Canada's rudimentary approach to ‘unselling' drugs
While U.S. hits hard with Hollywood-style ads, Canada takes a rudimentary approachSimon Houpt, Globe and Mail
Nancy Reagan would be horrified. Almost 30 years ago, when a young California schoolgirl asked the U.S. First Lady what advice she would offer to help kids resist the pressure of peers to take drugs, she replied: “Just say no.”
