BC’s child and youth advocate seeks stronger support for teens at risk of overdosing
Posted November 15, 2018 5:02 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Safe drug consumption sites for teens are part of the latest call for stronger harm reduction measures from BC’s child and youth advocate.
The latest report by Jennifer Charlesworth, called Time to Listen: Youth Voices on Substance Use, shows 24 people between the ages of 10 and 18 died last year from overdoses and she fears numbers will be even higher this year.
“That number of 24 is double the year previous. That’s important for us to pay attention to. Overdoses and deaths are likely to continue to rise…. So, for me, what it speaks to is how important it is that we are connecting with these young people much earlier in their lives,” she said.
“We have to think long and hard if kids are in so much pain that they are using substances in a way that causes harm.”
Charlesworth says 154 critical injuries last year were also linked to substance use.
“They’ve lost a parent, been sexually exploited. It’s heart-breaking and it also puts a different slant on the issue, I think, than what is often in the dominant narrative of this is about partying or recreational use etc. It’s not!”Last year, 154 critical injuries linked to substance use were also recorded.
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy is reviewing the recommendations with hopes of incorporating some in a new mental health and substance use strategy slated for release in the spring.
She’s already promised to boost training and education for foster parents.