The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey was released by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This survey included 9,288 students across Ontario, Canada these students were in grade 7 to 12. What was found is that fewer Ontario teens are smoking cigarettes but they are doing some binge drinking and driving under the influence of cannabis.
This information is particularly useful to Oklahoma drug rehabs who have been dealing with students first introduced to the drug scene through illegal alcohol
Dr. Robert Mann, CAMH Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator stated, “We were pleasantly surprised to find that students’ use of most of the substances tracked by this survey declined during the past decade, even for those substances that historically have been used at high rates.” The survey showed students who smoked cigarettes dropped from 12 percent in 2009 to 9 percent this is an all time low since 1977. Figures on cannabis dropped from 26 percent to 22 percent. There are areas of real concern – one in eight students 13 percent reported symptoms of a drug use problem and for those who said they drink a third reported drinking hazardously or harmfully. One in six students 16 percent reported being drunk or high at school at least once in the past year.
The survey found alcohol was the substance used by the largest number of students; 55 percent of respondents reported drinking alcohol. Five percent binge drinking, 10 percent with harmful drinking patterns with elevated psychological distress.
Vehicles and drugs use other than alcohol is another concern. Students were more likely to drive after consuming cannabis than alcohol. 12 percent reported driving within an hour of using cannabis and 16 percent reported being a passenger in the car of someone who had been using drugs.
Oklahoma City inpatient rehabs report that there is a higher incidence of drug use in vehicles than before, as well.
In Ontario, 8,900 students were surveyed and they reported that they have been in a treatment program in the past year because of their drug or alcohol use.
Measured for the first time; high caffeine energy drinks were the second most commonly consumed substance with 50 percent of youth using them.
