Toronto colleges, universities on the alert for opioid abuse

Orientation or "frosh" week often means plenty of parties as the new academic year begins, and asToronto dealswith a spike in the number of opioid drug overdoses, schools, first responders and health officials are doing what they can to keep students safe.

"You've got to be careful for yourself.No one can lead you all the time," University of Toronto first year engineering student RadhikaSharma told CBC Toronto.

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Even though the internationalstudent from India has just arrived in Toronto, she's heard all about the opioid deaths in Canada and the problems this city is facing.

"So you have to be vigilant and take care of yourself at times like this."

Health Canada has issued an alert for drug and alcohol use during orientation week for colleges and universities with tips on how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and what to do.

Frosh captain Rebecca Kim says at the University of Toronto, new and returning students are given similar information in pamphlets and safety measures are put in place for frosh-week festivities.

"We actually have special leaders that are specifically trained in first aid. They are the ones who actually watch out for these vital signs or the critical signs that might indicate some serious health problems," the third-year engineering student told CBC Toronto.

"These leaders are specially trained to watch out for [first-year students]and their health," Kim said.

Toronto Paramedic Services also has extra staff on hand this week in case of a spike in the number of medical emergencies.

In a statement to CBC Toronto, Toronto Public Health says they "workwith staff and students at post-secondary institutionsto train peer leaders on topics related tosubstance misuse prevention."

"Anyone who needs access to naloxone should be allowed to carry and administer it," the statement reads.