Photo – Constables Jon Aitken (Owen Sound) and Alina Grelik (OPP) with Opioid Awareness card. Photo – Constables Jon Aitken (Owen Sound) and Alina Grelik (OPP) with Opioid Awareness card.
Midwestern

Drug strategy to address growing number of opioid overdoses in Grey Bruce

The Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy is continuing work in Bruce and Grey Counties to reduce addictions, opioid overdoses and to prevent marijuana use among youth.

The organization will continue efforts to reduce the harm of substance abuse in 2019. The group provides a coordinated response to get the message out to prevent further harm during overdose cluster events. There were three such occurrences last year.  Hanover police suspect drug overdose in two deaths in the community last week.

The goal is to support the Opioid Working Group in expanding naloxone training to all municipalities in Grey and Bruce counties. Naloxone can reverse an overdose.

An online website is being planned this year, along with a social media strategy to get the message out.

The organization has coordinated a "weeding out the risk," school-based cannabis education program for ages 14- 18.

Last year, the legalization of cannabis prompted the organization of 10 community-based cannabis education sessions reaching 329 parents, caregivers and youth allies across Bruce and Grey counties.

A survey for the organization found 94 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the cannabis education sessions improved their understanding of why cannabis use is risky for young people.

74 per cent of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the cannabis education sessions increased their understanding of how to talk to young people about cannabis.

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