Pubdate: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 Source: Cape Breton Post (CN NS) Copyright: 2007 Cape Breton Post Contact: http://www.capebretonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/777 Author: Nancy King Referenced: Nova Scotia Student Drug Use 2007: http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/repPub/NS_Highlights_2007.pdf Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada) DRUG-USE SURVEY HELPS TARGET PROGRAMS, RESOURCES: OFFICIAL SYDNEY - Results from a survey of student drug use are useful in helping agencies target their programs and resources, but also allow them to see areas where information is lacking, the director of Addiction Services says. Everett Harris was reacting to the release this week of the most recent survey of student drug use in Nova Scotia. There were nearly 4,500 surveys completed provincewide by students in Grades 7, 9, 10 and 12. The drugs most commonly used were alcohol, tobacco and cannabis. Forty-two per cent of students reported being drug-free, up from 40 per cent from the previous survey in 2002 and from 35 per cent in 1998. It showed that 16 per cent of students smoke cigarettes, down from 24 per cent in 2002; while 52 per cent drink alcohol, with 28 per cent of those students reporting having more than five drinks in one sitting. A breakdown by region is not available, a spokesperson for the Office of Health Promotion said this week, but results aren't believed to vary much from one area of the province to another. Harris said he was not surprised that what he described as traditional drugs still account for the lion share of use by students, adding he believes in some areas Cape Breton may be slightly higher than the provincial figures, particularly in some drinking patterns and cannabis use. "This is a really good survey, there are really high rates of participation," Harris said, adding since the survey has not been conducted a number of times , it's possible to go back and make comparisons. "There's that kind of consistency and continuity as well as it being good data with a lot of participation. There's need for other kinds of research to be done. We know that kids drink a lot but we need to know the context in which they do that to have a better understanding. I think we have to go out and talk to them." While what are considered to be more exotic drugs, are present, the number reporting using them is relatively small, such as seven per cent having used ecstacy and 1.6 per cent having used crystal meth. The survey provides good information, Harris said, and it also points out where knowledge is lacking, for example, usage patterns of young people not in the school system. "There certainly are alarming things about the non-school population, and I think the study points out that we need to get better at trying to understand what's going on with (them)," he said. "We know that there are some non-school kids that are using at younger and younger ages and in fact there are some small numbers of people who are using in a very dangerous way at really early ages, so we'd like to understand that a bit better and be able to reach those people." That will require talking to them, Harris said, and he expects focus groups to take place in the next year. The agency is also proposing following a model previously attempted in Vancouver, that would see nurses go out on the street, working directly with both adults and young people. "It's probably a population that if they're not going to school and they're hanging out, they're probably not going to clinics and if they do end up in a health-care setting, it's probably in some kind of crisis," Harris said. He added it's important to continue to attempt to get the message across that it's not a normal thing to use drugs and alcohol. The 2007 Student Drug Use Survey was conducted in partnership with the Department of Health Promotion and Protection, Department of Education and Dalhousie University community health and epidemiology. It was the fourth time the Atlantic provinces collected and analyzed standardized data. The full report and Nova Scotia highlights are available on the Health Promotion and Protection website at www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/repPub/NS_Highlights_2007.pdf - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake