Strategies for Youth Substance Use Prevention: What Youth Say Works

We at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), have a new report to share with you! Through a consultation with youth advisory councils and committees, we connected with young people across the country to better understand how to help prevent and reduce youth substance use harms in Canada.

We invite you to explore their actionable recommendations in our new report How to Prevent and Reduce Substance Use Harms for Youth: What Youth Say Works.

This report provides valuable insights to help strengthen prevention strategies for professionals across this diverse sector, including those in substance use health, education, family and community services, and youth-serving organizations.

Here is a snapshot of their suggestions:

• Create opportunities to build skills that reduce high-risk substance use.
• Within education, focus on the full spectrum of substance use health using evidence-based approaches without scare tactics.
• Go beyond information sharing, offer risk assessment tools and peer support from younger people with lived experience.
• Provide more harm reduction supports alongside prevention education.
• Leverage the unavoidable influence of the internet and social media to minimize risks and maximize opportunities.
• Family, friends and community connections are key to youth substance use health. 

We encourage you to share this report with your networks. When we listen to youth, we can create substance use harm prevention strategies that truly work for them.

If you have any questions about the report, please email CCSA Senior Knowledge Broker Shea Wood, PhD, at swood@ccsa.ca.

Thank you!
CCSA team