Experts say Alberta’s drug education urgently needs an update

Canadian Public Health Association executive director Ian Culbert lamented that much of Canada is stuck in a “1980s Nancy Reagan ‘just say no to drugs’ approach,” and opposition from parents and politicians make it challenging to move past that.

“The challenge with schools is that education around ‘sensitive topics’ such as sex education, alcohol and drug use gets very politicized. So finding the best practice does not always match up with what parents would necessarily want to be taught to their children,” he said.