Canada

What da hell…

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Greg Sword remembers how his daughter Kamilah used to love coming to play in Lions Park when she was a little girl growing up in Port Coquitlam, B.C.

But as Kamilah got older and went to high school, she began to experiment with drugs to cope with anxiety and pressure she felt about not fitting in with her peers.

After her first overdose, a drug counsellor told Kamilah she could keep using marijuana to deal with her anxiety, telling Sword it was at least a safer alternative to opioids.

Danya Fast, a research scientist with the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, said that if a young person isn't ready to stop using drugs and commit to a treatment program, there is a risk that trying to force them into one will only make the problem worse.

She added that young people use drugs for a variety of reasons, from managing physical or emotional pain to finding fun and connection with their peers.

's Minister for Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside wouldn't say whether her government supports the creation of special safe-consumption sites for youth, but did say that "all of the harm reduction opportunities" need to be looked at.

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