Universities should take harm reduction approach to drug use, experts say

As CEGEP and university students head to back to school, some experts argue it makes more sense to ensure illicit drugs are taken safely rather than try to prevent them from being taken altogether.

GonzoNieto, adrug educator and aboard member of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, saidcommonly used drugs such as MDMA or cocaine are sometimes mixed with harmful chemicals, leading to potentially dangerous results.

In August, Quebec City health officials said11peopleoverdosed in recent months, threefatally,after taking counterfeitoxycodonepills laced with the powerful narcoticfentanyl.

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Nieto saidthe drugs people take aren't usuallytested for purity, so no one knows exactly what they're taking.But Nieto saida cheap drug kit can help.

"Having that kind of service available helps people make better decisions because they can choose to say, you know, this is not what I was looking to put in my body, and now that I have that information, I can make that decision," he said.

Nieto said such tests can be bought onlineand mixed with a small amount of a pill or powder to indicate whether certain chemicals have been mixed in.

"And many people will choose not to take it or may actually throw it out," he said.

The problem is the tests aren't full-proof, according to thedirector of student health atMcGillUniversity.

Dr. Pierre-PaulTellier said the testscan indicate the presence of a certain drug, but notthe concentration.

For its part, Tellier saidMcGill has improved itsharmreductioneducationprograms in recent years among students in leadership positions, such as floor fellows.

Hestressed harmreduction doesn't mean the university promotes drug use.

"The approach of 'just say no' just doesn't work," he said.

"So we say, 'fine, if you're doing this, make sure you take care of yourself.'"

In Europe, formal drug testing labs are more common, but Canadianharmreduction advocacyorganizations such as GRIP Montreal say the country is likely a long way off from something similar.

Jessica Turmel, a spokeswoman for the local group,saidthe debate is similar to the one around safe injection sites, which have run up againstroad blocks in some Canadiancities.

Turmel said awider-spread drug education program starting early in the school year would help young people make safer choices, butthere's currently a lack of funding and political will.