Students and Drugs: An Epidemic
The use of drugs and alcohol to change one’s state of mind has been self-prescribed since their discovery. The discovery of drugs has been largely beneficial to humans in general since it has allowed for significant medical advancements. Where are we supposed to draw the line between helping and hurting? In concept, it seems helpful to take a pill that will allow you to stay up all night and study before a big exam. It might also make sense to continue using opioid painkillers for an old injury with pain that does not seem to subside. Moreover, post-secondary students feel that they should be able to trust their own judgement when putting substances into their systems since, after all, they are adults. It is difficult to understand how alcohol can be legally consumed at one’s own discretion for entertainment or coping while drugs like cocaine, heroin, Xanax, and methamphetamines are illegal and taboo. Indeed, both alcohol and the aforementioned drugs kill thousands per year.
In March of 2021, Statistics Canada found that 34% of cannabis consumers increased their intake during the pandemic due to “stress, boredom, and loneliness.” Similarly, 24% of alcohol consumers increased their intake for the same reasons. This may be harmless increased use due to an inability to find other sources of joy, or it may be a problematic coping response. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has created this graph to help drug users determine if their substance use is beneficial or problematic:
The organization also asks that people remember the four C’s: craving, loss of control, compulsion to use, and continued use despite consequences. In Canada alone, CMHA has found that 21% of the population will meet the criteria for having an addictions at least one point in their lifetime. While addiction to any substance is incredibly harmful, marijuana and alcohol are not the main culprits in the student drug epidemic, as they primarily fall under the ‘beneficial use’ category.
After one full year of the pandemic, Toronto Public Health released data that showed opioid overdose deaths increased 78% from 2019 to 2020. These numbers have continued to steadily rise through 2021. The Canadian Government also reported that 18% of those deaths were youth aged 20-29. Some of the short-term effects of opioids include:
drowsiness
constipation
impotence in men
nausea and vomiting
euphoria (feeling high)
difficulty breathing, which can lead to or worsen sleep apnea
headaches, dizziness and confusion, which can lead to falls and fractures
With increased use, comes increased availability. On campus, it is relatively easy for students to ask around and find a source of opioids. More and more commonly, opioid dealers are mixing fentanyl, a drug 100x more potent than morphine, in with their drugs unbeknownst to the user. For the dealer, this means that their supply is more effective for getting the user high with smaller amounts. For the user, the drug quickly becomes deadly and small amounts are enough to cause death. In February of 2021, it was even reported that a PEI woman died after her marijuana was laced with fentanyl. This means that no drugs are truly safe from tampering if they were not sourced reputably, such as from a government-regulated store.
In response to the ongoing opioid crisis, one university in British Columbia has been going above and beyond to prevent further deaths. The Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has distributed hundreds of naloxone kits to its staff and students since 2017. University Affairs reported that “there is a one-day staff training seminar on the opioid crisis and naloxone use, and a wellness centre where more than 1,000 senior students, faculty and staff have received training on holding their own opioid awareness presentations in class.” The school also gives students information about resources such as the Lifeguard App, which dials 9-1-1 for lone drug users who do not stop the alarm within 75 seconds.
Closer to home, Lakehead University recently joined the movement to prevent drug overdose and held a naloxone training seminar on October 21, 2021. The training was entirely free and open to all who expressed interest. One Lakehead professor, Dr. Max Haiven, also published a graphic novella entitled Empires of Pain: A Story of Racism, Opioids and Revenge. The short story explores the history of the ongoing drug epidemic and can be read for free here. Evidently, the drug crisis is very present in the minds of people everywhere, not just areas far outside of the Lakehead campus. In both Thunder Bay and Orillia, the student drug epidemic is blooming with no evident signs of slowing down.
In October of 2021, Orillia mayor Steve Clarke announced that he supports recent calls to decriminalize the possession of controlled substances in order to prevent overdoses. The mayor also stated that he was open to exploring the idea of implementing safe injection sites, though met with criticism that it may make it easier for users to obtain and use drugs. However, statistics have clearly shown that addicts have no trouble obtaining a way to use their drug of choice, safe injection sites would only ensure that they do so safely.
Conversely, Thunder Bay has had a safe injection site since November of 2018 called Path525. The site can be found on Simpson street, operating out of the Norwest Community Health Centre buildings. The safety facility provides people with a secure, clean, and supervised place to use drugs, but it is also the first place of contact for drug users to find valuable resources that could help them overcome addiction. Brad King, the Path525 supervisor, stated in a CBC article that “people can come in here and get access to detox or treatment, opioid substitution therapy such as methadone or Suboxone, housing, ID services, financial support.” Consequently, King notes, stigma is the primary killer that stops users from reaching out for help.
As we continue to do everything we can to end the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, we must also consider the longer-reigning opioid crisis. The primary difference between the two is that opioid addiction is not contagious; people do not fear what they do not think they can catch. As a result, there has been significantly more drive to stop the former than the latter. Though not contagious, addiction will evidently touch every person in one way or another. It is vital that we advocate for resources, destigmatize addiction, and learn to recognize crucial signs of addiction.