High School Using In-House Program to Combat Teenage Drug Addiction

April 5th, 2011 | Add a Comment

Canada has a growing rate in oxycodone addiction among teens. Dennis Franklin Cromarty High school has come up with a solution to this problem. The school has created an in-house treatment solution to get the teens off the drug. This is believed to be the first program of its kind in Canada.

The principal of the school, Jonathan Kakegamic, stated that it is no secret Canada is dealing with a crises caused by the drug. Oxycodone is a painkiller prescribed but doctors. It has become so popular with the adolescent community that it has hit the black market and is easily accessible on the streets.

The program is 14 days long and is funded by federal and provincial governments. It is housed at an off-site doctor’s office, and conducted by a pair of volunteer doctors and 4 nurses who are paid through the Local Health Integration Network. Suboxone pills are utilized to offset the intense To withdrawal symptoms. Mae Katt who is a nurse practitioner at Dennis Franklin Cromarty for the past eight years said “We know that the students have been short-term users, so they don’t have a lot of long history of addiction. They’re not using other drugs other than the opioid, so for that profile we’re looking at detoxification for them as something that’s very possible.”

The most fascinating part of this is that the students stood up to the plate and asked for help themselves. They had no idea they would become addicted to oxycodoen since the addiction profile of this drug is not advertised anywhere. Jonathan Kakegamic is proud of those who have stepped forward to tackle to their addiction. “it takes a solid, human strong soul to say, ‘im going to quit this drug’” he stated.

In my opinion I think it is great there is a program like this available for students who want the help and are willing to get it. It would be great if more schools in the United States could model themselves after this High School and try to combat teenage drug addiction.