Talking to Kids About Drugs

Toolkits for teachers

Talking to kids about drugs is an important and often challenging topic for teachers to creatively incorporate into curriculum. These websites have an integrated set of web-based resources for you to utilize in your prevention / health promotion work with youth in schools.

Teaching tools (Niagara Region Public Health)
Teacher / school resources (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
Teaching modules (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Lesson plans and activities (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Parents and caregivers

Drug use among teens in Niagara

Talking to kids might be difficult, but it's a conversation worth having.

9 per cent of students reported that it is "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get opioids
The most commonly used drugs among students in Grades 7-12 are high-caffeine energy drinks, alcohol and cannabis
About 8 per cent of students report binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion) at least once in the past month
14 per cent of secondary school students report that they used cannabis to cope with a mental health problem at least once in the past year
42 per cent of students report that in the past year, there was a time they wanted to talk to someone about a mental health problem but did not know where to turn

Source: The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey Reports

Addiction support

Help those in need know where to turn. Learn about addiction support services in Niagara.

Reasons why kids are doing drugs

Kids say that they are bored, they have nothing to do, they are stressed, they want to experiment and they want to feel relaxed.

Learn how to talk to your kids about drugs from the following websites:

Drug education and mental health (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
Youth drug prevention for parents (Canadian drugs and substances strategy)
Parent support hub (Drug Free Kids)