COASTAL HEALTH SURVEYING DRUG HABITS OF CITY'S YOUTH

A lack of research on why and how young people use drugs in Vancouver
has prompted Vancouver Coastal Health to survey 16- to 24-year-olds'
attitudes and experience with drugs.

More than 450 youth will be interviewed over a three-month period to
gauge drug use patterns, trends and causes that lead to harmful use.

"There's not a great deal of this type of surveillance work currently
done in Canada. This is commonplace in Australia where I'm from," said
Dr. Cameron Duff, research lead for Vancouver Coastal Health's youth
addiction services. "I was working on research like this in Melbourne.
It's also common in the States and the UK."

Aside from finding out about emerging trends, researchers want to
learn about the prices and availability of drugs to help determine
prevention services offered in the future.

"What we're hoping to be able to show, which stands to reason I
suppose, is there is a direct relationship between frequency of use
and the experience of harm," Duff said. "For example, the more
cannabis one uses, the more likely one is to experience harm."

He expects local findings will also provide stronger evidence for drug
education in schools.

"It's also important, in some respect, to be able to look at problems
around alcohol and cannabis that typically haven't been the focus of
research in the past. A lot of research here in Vancouver, for very
good reason, has focused on illicit drug use, injection drug use, in
the Downtown Eastside," Duff added. "We haven't really looked at the
population outside of that particular region. It'll be nice to look at
issues like alcohol and cannabis in the broader, perhaps mainstream
population."

Researchers are as interested in talking to non-drug users as drug
users, to determine why they haven't used drugs and whether they've
had access to illegal substances.

"Obviously we have a prevention agenda as well. We want to know why
don't kids try these drugs when so many of their friends are trying a
drug like marijuana," Duff said.

The McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit organization that focuses on
adolescent health, already conducts surveys to gather information on
issues like sex and drugs, but Duff said Vancouver Coastal Health's
questionnaire specifically focuses on drugs and asks more in-depth
questions. "McCreary has been a great basis for us, but we're really
trying to tease out some more detail," he said.

About 120 youth have already been surveyed. They earn a $20 gift card
for Future Shop, London Drugs or Famous Players for taking part. All
subjects must sign consent forms and those under 18 must get their
parents' permission.

The study will cost $80,000. Once results have been analyzed, a public
report will be completed and posted on Vancouver Coastal Health's
Internet site by year's end.