The problem of substance abuse among youth is an acute social issue that is exacerbated if little attention is paid to targeted work to protect this vulnerable category of the population. Moreover, some national initiatives, such as the legalization of cannabis, as happened in Canada in 2018, worsen the situation and hinder the implementation of youth health programs (Haines-Saah et al., 2018). Therefore, identifying ways of preventing substance abuse among young people is a priority for the global health system to avoid severe damage to the younger generation’s mental and physical health. As an adequate intervention strategy with a strong evidence base, I can suggest considering a Canadian project called a Comprehensive School Health approach and approved by the Public Health Agency of Canada (2021). This program may be an effective practice to create an environment in which youth will be distracted from the harmful effects of substances due to different stakeholders’ integrated participation.
The strategy based on substance use prevention includes a number of tasks to follow to ensure the success of the intervention. The Public Health Agency of Canada (2021) states that one of the steps to take is establishing trusting relationships with both peers and adults. In this regard, schools should reach out to communities to obtain the necessary information about those young people who are at risk. Haines-Saah et al. (2018) emphasize the critical role of parents in such a strategy. As the authors argue, most behavioral habits, including harmful ones, are adopted by children and adolescents from their loved ones, which imposes obligations on parents to set an adequate example (Haines-Saah et al., 2018). Any stigmatization and abusive relationships are risk factors, and both in the family and at school, young people should be provided with protection from aggression so that they do not seek relaxation in substance use.
In terms of school involvement, a Comprehensive School Health approach implies organizing extracurricular programs and activities for students to occupy their free time and address specific interests. Special mentoring programs for teachers can be promoted to help them identify students’ deviant behavior timely and provide young people with psychological and emotional support (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2021). Thus, adequate socialization is an effective mechanism to distract the youth from substance use.
A comprehensive intervention program also includes policymakers’ corresponding efforts. Improving the school climate through countering social media bullying, stricter penalties for substance abuse, holding adults who encourage discrimination to account, and some other measures may be important to prevent risks (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2021). Moreover, according to the findings of Haines-Saah et al. (2018), many parents do not feel social support when faced with the problem of children’s substance use. Therefore, involving not only public health but also legislative agencies in solving the issue is seen as an essential step to implementing a Comprehensive School Health approach.
When taking into account the evidence-based nature of such a program, its application may be relevant to different countries, regardless of the level of economic or political development. Targeted social work with children and adolescents is the responsibility of adults, and ignoring the issue of substance use among young people can have severe consequences for future generations. Thus, a Comprehensive School Health strategy is an adequate intervention mechanism in which various stakeholders contribute to their best ability.
References
Haines-Saah, R. J., Mitchell, S., Slemon, A., & Jenkins, E. K. (2018). ‘Parents are the best prevention’? Troubling assumptions in cannabis policy and prevention discourses in the context of legalization in Canada. International Journal of Drug Policy, 68, 132-138. Web.
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021). Blueprint for action: Preventing substance-related harms among youth through a Comprehensive School Health approach. Web.