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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said it is outrageous SafeLink Alberta handed out pamphlets to students at Medicine Hat High School about reducing risks of illicit drugs.
“There is no such thing as safe meth or crack use,” tweeted Smith on Saturday.
“We will be reviewing funding agreements with the organization who felt it was appropriate to teach Medicine Hat teenagers how to use illicit and deadly drugs.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said it is outrageous SafeLink Alberta handed out pamphlets to students at Medicine Hat High School about reducing risks of illicit drugs.
“There is no such thing as safe meth or crack use,” tweeted Smith on Saturday.
“We will be reviewing funding agreements with the organization who felt it was appropriate to teach Medicine Hat teenagers how to use illicit and deadly drugs.”
Medicine Hat High School faced backlash on Thursday after students saw instructions for how to safely prepare illicit substances for consumption earlier this week.
The instructions were part of one of several pamphlets distributed at a wellness fair on Tuesday.
Pamphlets included Safer Crystal Meth Smoking, Safe Crack Smoking, and Safer Snorting, outlining ways to use drugs with certain supplies.
When it came to Safer Crystal Meth Smoking, the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) said people should clean their hands with soap and water or alcohol wipes. After cleaning their hands, CATIE said they should pour their crystal meth into a pipe.
They should fit the mouthpiece onto the pipe. They have to hold the pipe and add heat to the bowl, ensuring the flames do not touch it.
The supplies CATIE said they should use to smoke crystal meth safer are a bowl pipe, a mouthpiece, alcohol swabs, and a torch lighter.
It acknowledged people can engage in safer crystal meth smoking by not using alone, starting low and going slow, and knowing the source of their drugs.
While people might want to use crystal meth, it can be more dangerous if they are on erectile dysfunction drugs, other stimulants, downer drugs, or alcohol.
SafeLink Alberta said it has been made aware of concerns expressed by parents of students about the materials it had at its booth at the wellness fair.
“Intentions aside, we recognize that this information may be alarming to parents who are unaware of substance use trends in youth and who would prefer to be made aware of the resources being offered to their children in advance,” it said.
“We apologize for any miscommunication with Medicine Hat High School about the specific content of the substance use education materials that were requested for this event.”
It confirmed its team distributed less than 10 of each brochure at the event and that the materials were removed upon request within the first hour. If there are consenting parents who want to learn more about substance use or sexual activity in youth, it said they should visit safelinkalberta.ca or connect with it at info@safelinkalberta.ca.
The Cowichan Valley School District (CVSD) said in May it should not have allowed harm reduction items to be left out at one of its schools.
“We were recently made aware of materials that were left at one of our school sites from a third-party harm reduction and drug addiction presentation that we do not consider school or age appropriate,” said CVSD.
Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn (North Island-Powell River, BC) pointed out these harm reduction products were being given out at a school, saying this was different from what he learned in high school.
