The Ministry of Health is undertaking a Survey of High School and Junior College Students on Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs and Health. The survey should be done every two years, but the last one was finished in 2008.
So it's three years late, but it started last week. Amelio Matura, the Programs Coordinator at the Drug Council told us what they hope to find:..
Amelio Matura, Programs Coordinator - Drug Council
"We are looking at collecting data that will help us to create effective programs within our schools. It's only through research and data collection that we will be able to say for certain if there is a drug problem in our schools. Again the questionnaire is very confidential. It shows different area whereby confidentiality will be followed."
Geovanni Brackett, reporter
"Do you think that many adults will be surprise of the findings as they were with the last published survey?"
Amelio Matura
"It is a reality and no doubt that drugs have infiltrated most of our communities and pose a threat in our schools. But until that could be proven through our research then I will not be able to say if we are having a decrease or an increase of that in our schools."
The survey is in its second week and there is no timeline for publicaiotn of results. The effort is sponsored by and spearheaded by the OAS.
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