Pubdate: Wed, 07 Sep 2016
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Nick Eagland
Page: 3

EDUCATORS TACKLING OVERDOSE CRISIS

School boards bolster efforts to protect children from growing threat
posed by fentanyl

Educators are working diligently to warn youth about the inherent
dangers of fentanyl as the death toll from B.C.'s overdose crisis
shows little sign of receding.

According to the B.C. Coroners Service, 433 people died in B.C. of
illicit-drug overdose between Jan. 1 and July 31. Fentanyl, a potent
synthetic opioid increasingly being cut into street drugs and
counterfeit opioids, was detected in 62 per cent of cases in the first
half of 2016.

The vast majority of those who died - 235 people - were aged 20-39,
but 11 were aged 10-19.

To protect children from fentanyl - which police and health
authorities have detected in heroin, cocaine, crack, amphetamines and
counterfeit prescription pills - educators are bolstering their
outreach in schools.

Rob Rai, director of school and community connections for Surrey
School District 36, said his district is working closely with the City
of Surrey and Fraser Health to obtain updates on fentanyl's presence
in the community.

Since last year, the district has distributed such information to
counsellors, administrators and youth-care workers, who then work with
students to answer their questions and clarify misconceptions about
fentanyl and other toxic adulterants.

"One of the things the kids have shared with us is that they don't see
pill drugs as a hard drug," Rai said. "We're working hard to educate
the kids that just because it's not a pipe or not a needle, doesn't
mean that you're any less at risk."

Rai said the district is strategically reaching out to Grade 8
students, who are most at risk of experimenting and Grade 10 students,
who meet regularly for Planning 10 classes.

The district is also working to arrange "community cafes" that will
engage parents and provide them with information about youth drug use,
risk factors and detection.

"It's tragic," Rai said. "Do you think any of these parents who lost
their children knew they were doing these kinds of drugs? They would
have stepped in right away. So we're trying to help them understand.
'Hey, what are the signs? What does it look like? What is fentanyl?'"

Art Steinmann, manager of substance-use health promotion for the
Vancouver school board, said discussions about fentanyl will be
included in the board's drug-education programming, which is tailored
to students in grades 8-12.

"We're not singling out fentanyl, at this point, for any particular
focus," he said. "It will be touched on, but we need to start where
the youth are at, and most of the youth we're dealing with - the
issues they're confronted with are more around cannabis and alcohol."

The 2013 B.C. Adolescent Health Survey, administered by the non-profit
McCreary Centre Society, found that compared to 2008, fewer students
reported using substances such as prescription pills, cocaine and
amphetamines, while heroin use remained stable at one per cent.

Overall, 17 per cent of male and female youth had tried at least one
substance other than alcohol or cannabis.

Steinmann said youth-engagement workers will continue to visit schools
to lead classroom work and run small group discussions and
after-school community-service learning programs that will address
youth drug issues. He said the board recognizes that some youth are
engaged in drug use, so it will provide support to encourage them to
reduce or cease this.

Educators will focus on the need to tackle the root issues that lead
to drug use, such as boredom, curiosity, peer pressure, loss or
trauma, and will continue to focus on "strength-based" education that
encourages wise and healthy decisions, he said.

In June, police chiefs in Vancouver and Surrey sent letters to parents
warning them about the dangers of fentanyl.

In a joint letter penned by the Surrey school district and chief
superintendent Bill Fordy, parents were warned that children are
susceptible to serious harm or death from fentanyl and similar substances.

"Despite our best efforts as parents, our children can easily be at
risk of drug use," they said.

"They're young and influenced by people and factors outside of our
control. It's important not to assume your child hasn't already or
isn't thinking about experimenting with drugs - it's not always as
obvious as we think."
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MAP posted-by: Matt