UBCO DEAN HELPS DEVELOP NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR KIDS, DRUGS

An Okanagan researcher is among the contributing voices on a
ground-breaking nationwide strategy for reducing substance abuse in
children and youth that was released this week.

Marvin Krank, professor of psychology and dean of the College of
Graduate Studies at UBCO, acted as an academic voice in drafting the
Portfolio of Canadian Standards for Youth Substance Abuse Prevention.

The document is a one-of-a-kind guide for developing prevention
programs and lays out the best practices one should follow to ensure a
program succeeds in getting kids off substances and to stay away from
their influence in the first place.

"oeIt takes you from where you're at...and shows you how you get
from there to the most effective program possible," said Krank, who
develops prevention methods as part of his base research.

The standards have caught the attention of many countries working from
a similar, public health perspective and even those which tend toward
a more criminal, war-on-drugs approach.

Richard Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the American Office of
National Drug Control Policy who is commonly known as U.S. President
Barack Obama's drug czar, attended the release of the document,
telling reporters the president believes prevention is key to
drug-control efforts in his country.

In an explanation provided to CBC, Kerlikowske said he believes that
if the U.S. can get more Americans off illegal drugs, it will stem the
flow of ecstasy, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and cocaine from
Canada, thereby dramatically reducing the illegal drug trade.

Krank has been working on the ground in this area, developing ways to
reduce teen addiction with studies conducted in the Okanagan school
system.

He said he believes the focus on follow-up built into these guidelines
is what sets the document apart.

"oeIt looks at how you go about taking the evidence that you've
brought to the question and actually planning and implementing...and
how you determine whether it worked," said Krank.

This last point is particularly critical in the researcher's
mind.

Often programs become quite popular because they appear to work or
because they suit the belief system of those involved, yet they are
never properly tested to ensure they're actually getting kids off
drugs and to stop drinking, he said.

The working group which helped draft the standards included clinical
practitioners, cops, teachers, and a wide array of stakeholders from
schools, community resource agencies and government.

The combination of expertise helped lay out a set of best practices
that address the multifaceted nature of the problem.

There are sections for school-based prevention programs,
community-based prevention programs and for those trying to
strengthening families to ensure young people have the best chance
possible of avoiding addiction.