School principals across Canada are spending a “substantial amount of time” managing students’ substance use but do not have the resources to respond effectively, according to a new survey led by a UBC-based research initiative called Wellstream.
The study found that there is an urgent need for evidence-aligned strategies due to the complexity of the growing issue of substance use in educational settings.
Author Dr. Emily Jenkins, an associate professor in the School of Nursing at UBC, said they started researching what was happening after realizing a message of abstinence to using substances wasnt working.
“We’ve got decades now of research that shows that those types of approaches that are punitive in nature are not only ineffective, but can cause harms,” Jenkins said.
“They can cause disengagement from school. They’re associated with a greater likelihood of substance use, problematic substance use later in life.”
Jenkins said they found that more principals are spending more time addressing substance use in their schools over the past year compared to the previous year.
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“Preventing substance-use harms among children and youth requires a comprehensive strategy that acknowledges the multifaceted nature of this issue. Given this, ‘Just say no’ doesn’t cut it,” she added.
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The survey gathered insight from 204 school principals, vice-principals and heads of school, and found that vaping is the most prevalent substance-related issue, despite ongoing prevention efforts.
“What we heard is that, you know, the landscape of youth substance use is shifting, and they’re struggling to keep up with it,” Jenkins said.
“Sixty-four per cent indicated that vaping was a significant challenge in their schools. And they lack clear guidance and a coordinated approach to addressing this issue.”
Jenkins said they heard that many vaping products are aggressively marketed to young people, but it is not just those products they are dealing with.
They also cited concerns about students using cannabis, tobacco and nicotine products, caffeine, energy drinks and alcohol on school property.
Jenkins said school officials are asking for help to deal with these issues.
“There has been urgent calls from across the country, but just in the past couple of weeks, the BC School Trustees Association, they put out a call for (a) coordinated and evidence-aligned approach to support their membership,” she said.
“We are working as a research unit Wellstream to develop national standards, which will offer guidance to educators across the country.”
Jenkins said that while the provincial governments should work with educators to contribute guiding policies, there needs to be a coordinated response across the country to “ensure that there is that clear, accessible and needed guidance that meets the realities of the education system.”
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