Pediatricians call youth overdoses a public health emergency. What will end it?
Global News
As students prepare to go back to school, prevention organizations are urging adults to take action against the rising risk of substance abuse to youth.
Most parents assume substance addiction and overdoseing isn’t an immediate threat to their children, says Drug Free Kids Canada (DFKC) executive director Chantal Vallerand, but studies pointing to a growing crisis say otherwise.
As students prepare to go back to school — where peer influence is highly prevalent — prevention organizations are urging parents, caregivers and schools to take action against the rising risk of substance abuse to youth.
“Parents don’t think their kids are at risk. It’s always somebody else’s kid. But it’s more important than ever to take preventative measures,” Vallerand told Global News.
A report by the 2022 Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) surveying 1,000 pediatricians has called drug overdoses among children and teens a public health emergency.
The number of youth suffering from severe, life-threatening overdose is increasing and has become the leading cause of death in children 10 to 18 years of age in Western Canada, the report says.
Stimulant overdose was the most commonly reported, followed by sedatives, then opioid overdoses.
A survey by DFKC found that only 11 per cent of Ontario high-schoolers admitted to using opioids or prescription drugs for recreational use, but Vallerand warns there is still a high risk.
“It’s not the vast majority, it’s not the substance of choice for initiation… but things could still turn up bad like the stats we’re seeing on overdosing,” Vallerand said.
