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General
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction – talking pot with youth
Talking pot with youth: a cannabis communication guide for youth allies is a free guide that provides introductory information and a set of exercises to engage youth in meaningful discussions and conversations about cannabis. This guide takes a harm-reduction approach to talking with youth about cannabis. The aim is to help those who work with young people have safe, informed, and non-judgmental conversations with them about cannabis.
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction – ways to reduce risks of cannabis use (Pdf)
Ways to reduce risks of cannabis use is an information sheet highlighting 10 ways to use cannabis more safely based on best available scientific evidence and the Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines. In addition, information on health risks associated with using cannabis, the impact of cannabis use on people around, and ways to seek help if one develops a cannabis dependency is provided.
Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) – sensible cannabis education (Pdf)
CSSDP is a grassroots network of youth and students who are concerned about the negative impact of drug policies on individuals and communities. CSSDP advocates for evidence-based responses to reduce and prevent harms associated with drug use and drug criminalization. The sensible cannabis education toolkit has two main parts. The first part highlights ten guiding principals for conducting cannabis education with youth and the second part focuses on content that merits inclusion in a comprehensive cannabis education curriculum for young people. Sensible Cannabis Education Booklets are another set of resources that aim to support educators and parents to have informed and non-judgmental conversations with youth about cannabis.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) – educator toolkit (Pdf)
Cannabis: what educators need to know is a toolkit designed to help educators have informed conversations with students about recreational cannabis. Examples of the topics covered are the definition of cannabis, edibles, their impact on emotions, risks for youth, signs of problems with cannabis or other substances, and ways to promote student well-being. Page eight of this toolkit features diverse resources for parents and educators to find more help and information about youth cannabis youth.
Drugs Free Kids Canada is an organization that educates, engages, and empowers parents, caregivers, educators, and care professionals by providing them with up-to-date information, resources, and tools to prevent and reduce the harms of problematic drug use by youth. These resources are categorized into prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery. The cannabis section provides information on how cannabis is used, different forms of cannabis, and risks associated with cannabis use.
YouthREX - What's With Weed
YouthREX aims to make research evidence and evaluation practices accessible and relevant to Ontario’s grassroots youth sector through knowledge exchange, capacity building and evaluation leadership. What’s With Weed is a youth-friendly one-stop-shop on everything youth might ask about cannabis and cannabis use. This webpage shares information about cannabis, its health and social impacts, and how it can be used more safely. Their cannabis resource hub features a variety of resources, tools, and guides related to cannabis, its use and health effects, youth empowerment, and impaired driving. These resources are also available in French.
YMCA Youth Cannabis Awareness Program (YCAP)
YCAP offers free programming to youth aged 12 to 24, parents/guardians, and professionals working with youth. This program follows a harm-reduction approach to minimize risks associated with cannabis use with the most accurate and unbiased information. The YCAP knowledge hub offers cannabis awareness resources including self-guided educational modules about recreational cannabis use. Attend a YCAP workshop available in English and French on a variety of topics such as mental health literacy and cannabis use, cannabis facts, and youth cannabis use.
Alberta
Alberta Health Services - cannabis FAQ sheet for educators (Pdf)
This FAQ sheet provides straightforward responses to questions that educators might face at school. Examples of the topics covered are the effects of cannabis on the social and physical environment in schools, teaching and learning opportunities to address cannabis use, ways to help students to learn about cannabis, and cannabis policy. In addition, recommended resources for schools (Pdf) document features resources and tools for healthy conversations with youth as well as a list of resources for parents and students.
British Columbia
University of Victoria – change and opportunity for schools (Pdf)
Cannabis legalization: change and opportunity for schools document provides a summary of cannabis regulations in Canada and information for schools on how to identify key issues and opportunities, adopt a holistic approach to cannabis and well-being, access information to make informed decisions, and address the needs of students, parents and the greater school community.
Ontario
Government of Ontario – recreational cannabis information for schools and school boards
The recreational cannabis information for schools and school boards web page covers a range of topics including the minimum age to engage in cannabis use, cannabis rules for Ontario schools, and student mental health and wellbeing. Additional resources for educators (i.e., the Ophea secondary school educator discussion guide) and parents (i.e., tools to initiate conversations about cannabis with children and teens) are also provided.
Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (Ophea)– what educators need to know (Pdf)
What educators need to know is an info-sheet for educators to have informed conversations with students about recreational cannabis. This info-sheet explains what cannabis is, its impact on emotions, cognition, and perception, its risks for youth using cannabis, and signs of a student that may have a problem with cannabis or other substances. Moreover, strategies to promote student wellbeing and prevent harms related to cannabis are shared. Check out the Cannabis Education Resources that was developed to provide educators and administrators access to evidence-informed information on substance use (specifically cannabis) to help students develop the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions to support their health and well-being.
School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO) – what educators need to know about cannabis (Pdf)
Cannabis: what educators need to know is an information sheet to help educators facilitate informed conversations with their students about cannabis. This information sheet covers a range of topics such as cannabis, edibles, the impact of cannabis on mental health, and the risk of youth cannabis use. SMHO also offers a guide on school-based interventions related to student cannabis use (Pdf) that includes an overview of cannabis specific research with implications for focused interventions by school mental health professionals. Each section ends with highlights of important evidence-informed points to consider in your discussion with youth, families, and staff. This guide can be applied to other substances as well.
University of Waterloo - Cannabis Resources
The School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo offers a list of cannabis resources to raise awareness of cannabis, their use, and adverse effects of early cannabis use. These resources include YouTube videos on cannabis, edibles, cannabis use in youth, factsheets and flashcards. The infographic on adverse effects of early cannabis use on youth can be printed and placed on communication walls or shared on schools’ social media platforms to raise awareness among students.
Prince Edward Island
PEI Public School Branch - Public School Branch Alcohol and Drug Policy and Procedures
Public School Branch (PSB) shares the current Alcohol and Drug Use policies and procedures to ensure that schools stay alcohol and drug free. Refer to the Operational Procedures document for information on how to implement these policies in curriculum and raise awareness about the negative impacts of cannabis use. Introduce these documents to school staff to ensure they understand the risk factors, warning signs and intervention measures.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) - Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for Youth (LRCUG)
In association with the National Youth Action Council (NYAC) and the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM), CAMH has developed LRCUG as a youth education resource to provide evidence-based information on safer ways to use cannabis, for those who’ve made the choice to use. The Blunt Truth is an online resource developed by youth for youth that outlines useful tips about safer ways to use cannabis. This resource can be made available to students and educators online or in print formats.
211-PEI is a navigation service that connects PEI residents with social, community, government, and human services available throughout PEI. Amongst their resources is the addictions and mental health page that links to services such as addiction treatment, mental health treatment, support groups, and supportive housing. In addition, this website provides information and links to 24/7 help lines, specific youth and family addiction services, and adolescent day treatment. These resources can be shared with staff educators, families, and students.
Just the Facts PEI is an online resource that shares information about cannabis use, safety and laws, current cannabis products, and available resources for those who experience severe symptoms from cannabis use. Check out the Cannabis Talk Kit and Cannabis: Parents/Guardians Need to Know for helpful tips on how to start conversations with youth and engage in productive discussions about cannabis use.