What Are Kids Taking?
The results are in. The 2014 – 15 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey shows that, on the one hand, smoking rates are generally down, while on the other, experimentation with synthetic and prescription drugs is increasing amongst school-aged children in Canada. The survey also shows that within this age-group, marijuana use is much more prevalent than tobacco smoking and that underage drinking remains widespread with 13.5 being the average age at which to have your first alcoholic drink. Seventeen percent of the 42,000 who responded admitted to getting high using marijuana within the last year. However, more than 50% stated that they think smoking the drug regularly involves a significant risk of harm.
On top of this, the results suggest that males are more likely to try marijuana or drink alcohol for the first time at a younger age than their female counterparts. Another finding is that, worryingly, the use of synthetic cannabinoids is growing. Rates have risen from 1% to 4% over the past year. Other popular ways of getting high, according to the survey, include the misuse of psychoactive pharmaceuticals, such as tranquilisers, stimulants and prescribed pain relievers. Fentanyl, for example, is a dangerous drug responsible for a large number of deadly overdoses in Canada over the past year.
Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott has said that the decline in smoking rates and the use of other drugs amongst youth is “testament to the effectiveness” of the country's public health and education campaigns. Nonetheless, she also notes that the new results from this latest survey “indicate the need for continued efforts in these areas, including on opioid misuse and flavoured tobacco.”