Frontenac OPP promote drug awareness at local schools

Julie Druker | Feb 10, 2016

In an effort to get the message about the dangers of drug use out early to students who will soon to be entering high school, members of the OPP's Frontenac detachment have been visiting area schools.

In a presentation to grade 7/8 students at Land O'Lakes Public School on February 5, Frontenac Community Services Officer, Constable Roop Sandhu, spoke to students about the dangers that alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs can pose for both youth and adults alike. These substances have highly addictive qualities and Constable Sandhu outlined how overuse and/or non-prescribed use of them can lead to illness, addiction and in some cases even death.

He spoke of the legal consequences when minors become involved with these substances and how their unlawful use under the Criminal Code can lead to criminal charges, jail sentences and even a life-long criminal record. Sandhu also covered the subject of mixing highly caffeinated drugs with alcohol, which can pose dangerous health risks. He spoke of how the use of these substances can negatively affect one’s life physically, socially, emotionally and financially - of how it can be devastating to a student’s academic performance, their future outcomes and their families.

Constable Sandhu ended his section of the presentation by advising how students should react when presented with any of these substances. He stressed that non-use is the best choice, especially if the students do not know what the substances are or where they came from. He also advised students to never accept a drink from a stranger, and to immediately seek adult assistance if they should accidentally ingest a dangerous substance.

He suggested many healthier ways that youngsters can spend their time, either by taking up a hobby, joining a sports team, participating in other extra-curricular activities, volunteering in the community, or spending more time with family.

The second half of the presentation focused specifically on illegal drugs, and Constable Snider, a drug enforcement OPP officer with Frontenac County, spoke to students about the consequences of using and/or dealing in illegal drugs. He described the various categories of these drugs, which include cannabis, opiates, barbiturates, hallucinogens, and steroids. He outlined the laws and consequences related to using, possessing, trafficking in, or manufacturing these substances. He stressed that today’s high potency cannabis can have serious adverse health affects. A six-year study published in the British Journal of Medicine in 2014 showed that daily cannabis users are five times more likely to suffer from psychosis than those who have never used it. He warned students that though the current federal government is looking to legalize marijuana, for now it is still illegal. He spoke of the many new and altered forms of street drugs that are constantly emerging and how they are being manufactured specifically to avoid detection by law enforcement and to appeal to youth. Synthetic cannabinoids, for example, are often sold under various names to avoid detection

Constable Snider spoke of horrible physical effects that Krokodil, a potent morphine derivative known as the “drug of the poor”, can cause. To help bring his point home he recalled a poem written by a young crystal meth addict while she was spending time in jail. The last lines of the poem concluded with this dire warning:

“If you try me be warned - this is no game,
If given the chance, I'll drive you insane.
I'll ravish your body, I'll control your mind,
I’ll own you completely; your soul will be mine.”

Following the presentation, Constable Sandhu said, “Young people need to be able to determine the fact from the fiction around these substances. Sometimes they are getting information from others that is simply not true and often downright wrong. These young kids have enough to deal with when entering high school, which is enough of a challenge to them, and they need to know well in advance of that time that drugs are just not the way to go.” Schools interested in a presentation can contact Constable Sandhu at 613-372-1932 ext.6955