Substance Use & Harm Reduction

• Alternatives for Youth provide presentations on a range of topics around substance use.
• The a to z: Substance Use module can be navigated individually or in groups by students aged 14-16, or facilitated in the classroom. Includes facilitator guide and activity ideas.
• Use interactive tools created in collaboration with youth from mindyourmind such as Getting High? A tool that guides students through questions to consider when choosing whether to take a substance and Be Safe, a tool that allows the user to create a digital safety plan.
• Read Understanding Substance Use: Educator’s Guide when looking for ways to talk with youth in grades 6-12 about substance and to obtain knowledge, tools and resources on subjects pertaining to substance use, as well as access some video modules.
• OPHEA provides tools and resources for lesson planning, as well as information from youth on the preferred way to speak to youth about substance use.
• Access lesson plans from:
  • iMinds to support drug literacy for grades 4 to 12
  • SACY Fentanyl-related resources and support for the classroom grades 6-11 
  • Project Alert to support grades 7 - 8, including online training for teachers, posters and videos.
  • Explore resources for teachers and parents from the Ministry of Education

Alcohol specific resources

• Access lesson plans from Media Smarts to support grades 4 - 11 alcohol misuse curriculum
• Use Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health from CCSA to enhance understanding of how to reduce health risks associated with alcohol use

Cannabis specific resources

• School Mental Health Ontario – Cannabis: What Educators Need to Know
• Book a classroom presentation through Weed out the Risk to discuss road safety risks associated with driving while under the influence of marijuana
• Use low–risk cannabis guidelines from CAMH to enhance understanding of how to reduce health risks associated with cannabis use
• Use the CPHA pot and driving toolkit with discussion guide and questions for teenagers
• An Indigenous Perspective on Cannabis and Vaping - Culturally appropriate resources and training related to recreational cannabis use and vaping. Contains toolkits for educators and for parents.

• Help students perform a needs assessment of their school to identify priority areas within the school.
• Review and update school policies about substance misuse. Advocate for including these policies in the school agenda and on the school website.
• Blueprint for Action: Preventing substance related harms among youth through a Comprehensive School Health approach a resource for members of school communities from the Public Health Agency of Canada (2021)
• Coordinate discussion groups consisting of students of diverse perspectives (related to age, gender, interests, etc.) to identify emerging trends and/or key issues related to substance use/misuse and identify the supports needed in the school
• Resources from SMHO and Youth Wellness Hub Ontario to support educators and school leaders when supporting youth and providing education on substance use. 

• Engage and encourage student groups to promote substance misuse prevention and school health.
• Encourage students ages 14 to 25 to join the HamOntYouth Steering Committee, that enables students make recommendations on youth initiatives (including those pertaining to substance use and harm reduction)
• Suggest students initiate an OSAID Chapter in their school to raise awareness of impaired driving
• Replace with: Create a Social Norms Campaign with students in grades 7 and 8. Use interactive activities to share the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) results or school data to influence substance misuse culture and norms.
• Encourage youth to participate in the Hamilton Drug Strategy to help shift the way the city addresses substance use and how it impacts our community.

• Establish a resource centre in the school to access information on substances and available community supports for students, parents, staff and community.
• Monitor school property and places youth may use or share substances.
• Encourage Health Action Teams or Positive School Climate Teams to create positive spaces for socializing, in collaboration with school administrators.

• Promote the importance of calling 911 for an overdose and learn how the Good Samaritan Act can protect individuals.
• Alternatives for Youth offers substance use counselling for youth age 12 - 23 and their families. Call 905-527-4469.
• Learn how to respond to an overdose, including the administration of naloxone and where to get free naloxone kits.
• City of Hamilton Child & Adolescent Services offers family therapy, individual counselling, play therapy and psychotherapy. Make a referral through Lynwood Charlton Centre - Access and System Navigation
• John Howard Society of Hamilton offers substance misuse prevention programs for youth age 12-17. Call 905-522-4446.
• Review the research on youth and alcohol for information on the risks and harms of alcohol consumption for youth, as well as some harm reduction messaging.
• School Mental Health Ontario resources includes opioid information for parents, youth and educators
• Health Canada information about opioids with links to talking with your teen about drugs, opioid information, naloxone information and an opioids toolkit with infographics and other resources.
• Ask your public health nurse about substance misuse prevention or email [email protected].

Cannabis specific resources

• Cannabis talk kit
• CAMH - Cannabis: What Parents/Guardians and Caregivers Need to Know
• Cannabis Infographics Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction.
• Health Canada: Health Effects of Cannabis (for parents and educators)
• CCSA: Talking Pot with Youth - Cannabis Communication Guide for Youth Allies (2020)
• CSSPD: Sensible Cannabis Education: A toolkit for Educating Youth (available in English, French, Spanish, Punjabi and Mandarin)