School, health and law-enforcement officials are preparing to deliver a wealth of information about cannabis and vaping to local parents next week.
The Burnaby District Parent Advisory Council is hosting a two-hour information session on the two topics Monday, at Burnaby Central Secondary.
The evening will feature presentations from Fraser Health, a Boys and Girls Club substance-use counsellor, the school district and the RCMP.
But don’t expect an old-timey anti-drug presentation designed to scare parents and students straight.
“We’ve seen, over the years, it doesn’t work. Scare tactics do not work,” said Jessica Gill, the school district’s substance use prevention and health promotion worker.
The information session is designed to give parents clear, research-based information about both topics.
“Students might have parents that are vaping or using cannabis, so I don’t want to say, ‘It’s bad. You can’t be doing this,’ because then they might not feel like they can come to school to have a conversation if they are doing that themselves or someone that they know if vaping or using cannabis or any other substance. We want to create that open environment for them.”
The district approached the parent council about hosting the information session after it heard from a number of parents with questions about the new cannabis legislation that came into effect in October. The district posted information on its website, but more was needed, according to safe schools coordinator Sue Dorey.
“We felt that there also needed to be a conversation and an opportunity for questions and engagement,” she said.
A Fraser Health nurse will also be on hand to show parents how to administer naloxone.
The information session will run from 7 to 9 p.m.
To register, visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/53281778233.
