The Canadian Mental Health Association says it regrets that “unvetted materials” outlining how to use cocaine were distributed at an Ontario school during Mental Health Awareness Week.
The issue came to light after a social media user in Ontario stated that their child was given a pamphlet on safe cocaine use at Barrie North Collegiate Institute.
The pamphlet includes information on making one’s own snorting equipment, other drugs that can be snorted and steps to protect a person’s nasal passageways. It also provides life-saving information like the signs of a stimulant overdose.
“Adding a personal touch to your snorting equipment will help you better recognize your own when using with others,” the booklet states. “Some people add a piece of tape to their tubes or use a piece of coloured paper as their straw.”
The Simcoe County District School Board confirmed to Global News that the pamphlet was part of resources distributed by the CMHA at the school.
“We understand that a harm reduction resource was made available, which has raised some concerns,” Sarah Kekewich, manager of communication and strategic priorities at SCDSB, said in an email statement. “We have reviewed these concerns with our community partner to ensure that in the future, resources that are made available to students align appropriately with harm reduction education as outlined in the Ontario curriculum expectations.”
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The Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum details a plan for beginning education on substance use and abuse as early as Grade 1. But according to the 2021 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, many students feel they are not getting the right information on substance use and abuse. Surveyed students report receiving information on tobacco and cannabis, but nearly 13 per cent of students reported using opioids or prescription drugs.
According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, people between the ages of 20 and 24 are most likely to use cocaine, with self-reported use jumping from 3.3 percent in 2013 to nine per cent in 2019.
While the CMHA does promote harm reduction education, it says it does not stand behind the distribution of the pamphlet in a school setting.
“The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario does not seek to promote or normalize substance use among youth,” Camille Quenneville, CEO of the Ontario chapter of the CMHA, told Global News in an email. “We regret that unvetted materials were distributed in this context.”
Quenneville said the organization is working closely with its local branch to “review and strengthen our content approval process to ensure all materials are appropriate for their intended audiences and aligned with best practices and community expectations.”
The purpose of the CMHA’s harm reduction education is to “provide accurate, evidence-based information that helps reduce the risk of injury, illness and death,” she said.
The safe cocaine use pamphlet was created by CATIE, a Canada-wide organization that says its purpose is to provide accessible information on sexual health and substance use.
CATIE says on its website that its information sheets are intended to “provide information for service providers on how to educate and support clients to reduce harms associated with snorting drugs.”
Global News reached out to CATIE to ask who the intended audience for the safer snorting pamphlet would be and if CATIE supports its distribution in a school setting. The organization did not respond in time for publication.
Progressive woketards have become completely unhinged. Time for them to go on a time out from every social responsibility
Someone need to be fired over this! Unacceptable
@Carol …and judging by the loads of fent poses we all see when we go outside, the nuisance laws are highly effective. (that is sarcasm)
And yes, goverments do tell us what to do with out bodies all the time. Legal drinking age, mandatory vaccines, seat belts to name a few. Not snorting cocaine in high school is not unreasonable and is by far the least invasive.
No surprise
That isnt the worst they hear either
Legalize it and tax it. Nobody has the right to tell you what to do with your body. And we already have laws against being a nuisance to others.