Pubdate: Tue, 11 Aug 2015
Source: Prince Albert Daily Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2015 Prince Albert Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1918
Page: 4

DON'T PUT OFF THAT IMPORTANT CONVERSATION ANY LONGER

If there has ever been a time to have that often awkward and difficult
conversation with your kids about the dangers of drugs it is right
now, this very moment.

People across Canada are dying right now, thanks to the availability
of "recreational" street drugs that are often far more powerful than
users had bargained for. Often these are young people and their search
for a fun high with a little bit of experimentation is costing lives.

The biggest culprit has been a nasty piece of work called fentanyl.
The drug is often labeled as OxyContin (a brand name for the drug
oxycodone), but is more powerful and dangerous than the powerful
prescription drug that many have turned to for that illicit good time.

Fentanyl has been all over the news in recent weeks, and for good
reason. This chemical has been killing people across Canada, including
at lest four people right here in Saskatchewan. These have often been
teens/young adults, and often are only "recreational" drug users.

There's that word again. Talk of "recreational" drug use kind of
cleanses and glamorizes the whole experience, but this isn't the time
to be focusing on the morality of drug use. Most of us would agree the
risk of physiological damage and addiction and the other risks
involved make the decision to use drugs stupid. But stupid is one
thing that humans do well.

Curiousity will get to kids, even good kids, and young adults out
there. There are some who are going to choose to try drugs to see what
it feels like. There are others who will do it because they are giving
in to peer pressure. Some will do it to try to be cool.

Some of them will die. The morality of choosing to use illegal drugs
aside, the consequences of their actions shouldn't include death. But,
for some, as we have seen this year, it will.

If you haven't had "the talk" with your kids yet, you need to. It
could save their lives.

The biggest reason to discuss this with your kids (and other loved
ones) is because of how widespread this fentanyl has become and how
dangerous it is. It is plain and simply deadly.

But, it goes beyond that. Opioids such as OxyContin are dangerous
enough as it is. A study released last year in Ontario noted that one
in eight deaths of young people (ages 25-34) there involved opioid
overdoses. There is a perception that the use of opioids such as
OxyContin is no big deal and doesn't really hurt anyone. The
perception is wrong - dead wrong.

To take the Ontario study even further, opioid-related deaths in
Ontario increased from 21.2 deaths per million to 41.6 deaths per
million in 2010, an increase of over 240 per cent.

Many young people are getting these drugs through friends or family
members with prescriptions and then stealing or buying them and taking
them even though they have not been prescribed to them. This has to be
a part of the conversation, and if you or a family member has a
prescription to a drug like OxyContin, it is imperative to monitor
your pills and keep them safeguarded to help avoid abuse.

And although fentanyl has been getting a lot of media attention in
recent weeks, this isn't a new problem. A troubling alert was issued
by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse as far back as July, 2013
(the February, 2014 updated alert is available at:
http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-CCENDU-Oxycontin-Fentanyl-Alert-2014-en.pdf

In all likelihood, your kids aren't taking any illicit drugs and have
no interest in doing so. Just as likely is that those same kids know
others who are or have, and your kids have probably had it offered to
them at one point or another.

It is no secret that all kinds of drugs can be found in Prince Albert
and area, and oxycodone is here. Hopefully it isn't just a matter of
time before we see a fentanyl-related death here as well.
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MAP posted-by: Matt