A new poll suggests Canadian parents are anything but aware of what is going on in their teens’ lives with respect to drugs.
A Harris/Decimal survey commissioned by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) found that:
• 70 per cent of Canadian parents surveyed don’t think their kids (aged 12–17) have experimented with drugs; and
• 80 per cent of parents say they are confident they would recognize signs of drug use in someone close to them.
Yet the evidence shows nearly one third of 15–17 year olds and almost half of 18–19 year olds report using marijuana in the past year.
Canadians smoke more cannabis than any other developed nation in the world; in some high-risk groups, kids as young as 11 are experimenting for the first time (Ontario Student Drug Use Health Survey, 2009).
Today’s poll shows a real gap between perceptions and reality, says Michel Perron, CCSA’s CEO. The fact is, far more kids are experimenting with drugs than most parents think. This is a wake-up call to all parents to take note and take action—and that means talking to your kids about drugs.
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