Part1

It's been a busy time for us at CCSA. First was the launch of our national poll on the disparity between parents' perception of youth drug use and actual youth prevalence data. Not surprisingly, there was a significant gap between perception and reality. Our call to action was for parents to become engaged, informed and educated and only then, enter into a real dialogue with their youth about the issue.

Also part of the poll was highlighting the need for parents to be more vigilant at monitoring prescription narcotics at home, as the recent Ontario Student Drug Use Health Survey (OSDUHS) raised the disconcerting fact that 18% of youth grades 7-12 used these drugs for non-medical purposes in the past year and three quarters of them got the drug from the family medicine chest.

Next up, was the launch of our 4-part series of Meeka wellness resources with our Inuit colleagues including Minister Leona Aglukkaq. These represent the first of a series of traditional Inuit learnings translated into English. Brightly illustrated from original sketches made by Elder Meeka Arnakaq - the books come to life and will soon make their way to curriculum at Nunavut Arctic College for midwives, school counselors and the like. A fantastic accomplishment!

On November 17th we paid tribute to National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims (NDRRCV) for all those killed in fatal accidents. NDRRCV day falls at the same time as National Drug Awareness Week, which leads me to bring attention to the fact that road crash victims are also impacted by alcohol and drug driving. CCSA does quite a bit of research in this area and we know that drug-driving is almost at par with driving while under the influence of alcohol. This is a serious and complex issue and as a country we need to do more to raise awareness.

These events generated massive media interest and pick up - which to my mind underscores the public thirst for meaningful information they can use - especially for those with teens in the house - as is the case for my wife Kim and I.

Enough said for now - part 2 of our marathon run in a couple days.

Best
MP