Drug Addiction in Ontario

Youth in Ontario have been using various forms of drugs enough, that an in depth study was conducted to find out, who is using how much and why. The results might be shocking to a few parents.

Youth often forget that alcohol is in fact a type of drug. Just because it is a legal, and socially acceptable one, does not mean it is not a drug. It impairs judgment and motor skills, and is the most commonly used drug among youth in Canada, including Ontario. Sixty two percent of kids in grades nine to twelve report using alcohol. How much they use and how frequently increase as their age does. Male and female students are equally as likely to use alcohol.  Twenty two percent of those who use alcohol report doing it once a week, usually on weekends, with the sole purpose of getting drunk. (Binge drinking)

Illegal drugs are also gaining popularity among the youth of Ontario. Twenty five percent of boys in grades seven to twelve, and twenty percent of girls in the same grades report that they have been offered drugs either to buy, or for free while on school ground property. Believe it or not this is a significant decline in the numbers, where just five years earlier the percentages were about thirty three percent for males and females. This means though, they are getting their drugs on the street instead. Hallucinogens are the favorite with the youth of Ontario, boys more likely to use then girls.

Police are on the lookout for drugs at the school, on the streets and crossing the border from Quebec. Recently an arrest was made where twenty nine people were charged with various degrees of drug trafficking and drug smuggling. In the arrest, fifty two kilos of ecstasy and five hundred thousand dollars in cash was taken off the streets. Police also recovered stolen property including jewelry and cars.

^{References: http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101209/toronto-drug-bust-101209/20101209/?hub=TorontoNewHome
http://www.camh.net/OSDUS2005_HighlightsDrug_final.pdf}