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Young people spend a lot of time in the school setting, putting schools and educators in an excellent position to promote positive mental health and prevent the misuse of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
How schools can help prevent tobacco and substance misuse:
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Help youth build Developmental Assets® – the positive experiences and qualities that can promote positive development and prevent high-risk behaviours.
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Students who feel connected to their schools are less likely to engage in drug use. Establish school connectedness by increasing student participation, improving relationships and creating a positive school culture.
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Provide substance use content within classroom curriculum in a way that is highly interactive, skill-focused and age-appropriate. Education should start young with broad content and continue over many years with more specific information about substances. You can find classroom resources below.
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Enhance students’ cognitive, social and emotional skills to improve their decision-making ability. Provide students will the tools to manage stress and pressure to help enhance their refusal skills later in life. You can find resources at School Mental Health Ontario.
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Many teens overestimate rates of smoking, drinking and drug use among their peers. Correct misconceptions by providing accurate information, highlighting the number of students who do not use substances. Make sure content is relevant to students’ current experiences and substance use patterns, and emphasize short-term, social consequences of drug use that are important to youth.
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Students want to know more about why people start using drugs. Provide them with this information in an unbiased, non-judgemental way. Messages that try to arouse fear or emphasize the evils of drug use do not work.
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Active parental involvement in children’s education is a critical piece in preventing substance misuse in youth. Support family interventions that work alongside school programs. Find resources for parents and information about the Triple P Positive Parenting Program and sessions in your area.
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The community plays a large role in youth substance misuse prevention. Support the development of local partnerships to support the programs in school and to engage families in community-based activities.
Learn more: Effective and Comprehensive Approaches to Substance Misuse Prevention among Youth
Understanding Substance Use: Educator’s Guide
This guide and the accompanying five video modules from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction are designed for education professionals (teachers, guidance counsellors, coaches, social workers and so on) working with youth from grades 6–12. They provide knowledge, tools and resources on substance use, stigma, cannabis vaping, alcohol and impaired driving. This guide has not been designed to use in the classroom with students or to replace curriculum on these topics. Please see the section below for activities and resources to use in the classroom.
Classroom Resources
All Substances |
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Tobacco |
More information on tobacco |
Vaping |
Tip SheetsSchool Mental Health Ontario – Vaping: What Educators Need to Know Media Smarts - Talking to Kids About Vaping: Information about how vape products are marketed to youth and tips to start the conversation. Available in English and French. Activities & Lesson PlansVaping: What's the Hype? (Grades 5-9): A toolkit with curriculum-linked activities for students in grades 5-9 to learn and critically think about vaping. Available in English and French. Ophea - Vaping Education Resources (Grades 4-8): Information for educators and videos to support elementary students to develop social-emotional learning skills and make informed decisions about vaping. Available in English and French. Not an Experiment (Grades 7-12): Information and educator resources including a Power Point and Escape Room activity. Available in English and French. Know the Risks (Grades 4-8): A Power Point presentation about e-cigarette marketing and risks, appropriate for grades 4-8. Available in English and French. Lung Health Foundation “Talking About…” Series(Grades 7-12): Activity guides to help facilitate critical discussion with youth. Stanford Tobacco Prevention Toolkit(Grades 7-12): Five units that aim to increase knowledge about e-cigarettes, awareness of marketing strategies, and skills to refuse use. Geared for middle and high school students. Lung Health Foundation - What the Vape?!?!(Grades 7-12): Online module to learn about why vaping is not normal or harmless and how to take action. CATCH My Breath (Grades 6-9): Free curriculum for middle and high school students on vaping. Quit SupportsFind quit vaping resources including youth apps, web supports, and information for service providers. More InformationVisit our Vaping and E-cigarettes page. |
Cannabis |
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Ministry of Education - Cannabis Resources for Teachers: Resources on cannabis from the Ontario Ministry of Education for school boards, school administrators and educators. Cannabis Misuse Prevention Lesson Plans: Lessons for grades 6–12 on cannabis aligned with the Health and Physical Education curriculum. These lessons are designed to promote wellness and mental health, build resiliency, and develop coping skills. Sensible Cannabis Education: A Toolkit for Educating Youth: Includes guiding principles for cannabis education and a pull-away curriculum. Lung Health Foundation “Talking About…” Series: Activity guides to help facilitate critical discussion with youth. |
Opioids |
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School Mental Health Ontario: Info-Sheets on prescription opioid misuse, including a focus on fentanyl. Youth Resource: Opioids: what you and your friends need to know Parent Resource: Youth & Opioids - What parents need to know More information on opioids. |
Alcohol |
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Youth should delay their drinking for as long as possible, as it can harm the way the brain and body develop. In cases where youth choose to consume alcohol, their health will be improved by any reduction in the amount or frequency they drink, and reduction in the percentage of alcohol they choose to drink. Tip Sheets
Activities and Lesson Plans
Fatal Vision Goggles. For grades 9-12. Demonstrates how alcohol impairs a person’s balance, vision, reaction time and judgement. Alcohol and Your Brain. For grades 10-12. This health education app explains the physiological effects of alcohol on the developing brain through an evidence based 7 minute video. Support Services
Mental Health Crisis Line for Children and Youth: 1-844-287-9072 Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text TALK to 686868 (English) and TEXTO to 686868 (French). More Information
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