Alcohol
Myth or Fact? It is illegal to buy alcohol when you are underage, but it is not actually illegal to drink it when underage.
MYTH – It is illegal to have, consume, attempt to purchase, or otherwise obtain alcohol when under 19 years of age. There is a fine for underage drinking in Ontario
True or False? Alcohol is a drug.
True. Alcohol is a drug which means it changes how your brain works. It has both immediate and long-term risks. This can include changes to the way you think, feel and act. Alcohol leads to significant preventable deaths and hospital visits.
Myth or Fact? Cannabis is not addictive.
MYTH - 1 in 6 adolescents who use cannabis will develop a cannabis use disorder. You are at an even greater risk for addiction the earlier you begin using, the more frequently you use, and the more heavily used in adolescence.
Cannabis smoke contains over how many known chemicals?
A) over 50
B) over 200
C) over 400
C) over 400. Smoke from cannabis has been shown to have many of the same toxic chemicals as tobacco such as fine particles, heavy metals, and carbon monoxide. Breathing in secondhand cannabis smoke could negatively affect the health of those exposed.
What is many companies promoting tactic to entice youth to purchase their products (e-cigarettes/vapes)?
Companies have created flavoured e-juice/e-liquid to make the item more appealing to underage youth. However, there has been discussions across Canada to implement a ban that would limit the number of flavours companies would be able to produce for e-juice.
Myth or Fact? Alcohol will help my mental health.
MYTH - Youth who use alcohol to deal with their mental health are at an increased risk for symptoms of depression and anxiety.
True or False? Drinking alcohol as a kid will not have any long-lasting effects on me.
False. Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder later in life.
Myth or Fact? Cannabis helps youth focus.
MYTH – Regular cannabis use impairs thinking, attention, and memory.
Using cannabis at an early age on a regular basis can increase the chances of having problems in what area of your life:
A) Relationships
B) Health
C) Education
D) All the above
D) All of the above areas your life can be affected by cannabis use
Myth of Fact? Vaping may lead to smoking cigarettes.
FACT - Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Youth are more vulnerable to addiction because their brains are still developing. There are concerns that young people who vape may begin smoking tobacco products, such as cigarettes. It was found that teens who vape are 4x more likely to start to smoke cigarettes compared to teens who never vaped. Another study showed that teens that vaped at the start of the study were significantly more likely to have started smoking at follow up 1 year. later.
Alcohol has a significant impact on how we feel and behave. Which of the following is most correct? Alcohol affects:
A) judgement, coordination, reaction time
B) vision, speech
C) balance, walking and standing
D) All the above
D) All of the above. The more alcohol in the blood, the greater the impact.
True or False? Alcohol is safe for anyone, no matter what age.
FALSE: Youth are at the greatest risk of the negative health effects of alcohol because the brain continues to develop until age 25. Unfortunately, developing brains are more prone to damage. This means that experimentation with alcohol and drugs can have lasting, harmful effects on youth brains
Myth or Fact? It is safe to drive after using Cannabis.
MYTH - Cannabis significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time. Studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving ability.
Name two groups of people who are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of cannabis use.
1) youth 25 years of age and under
2) children and babies
3) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers
4) those with mental health concerns
5) those with substance use concerns
Myth of Fact? E-juice/E-liquid does not contain nicotine
MYTH – Most vapour products and their e-liquid DO contain nicotine, and the nicotine content varies from device to device. People who use vapour products may be falsely reassured by “nicotine-free” labels on the liquids. At this time, manufacturing standards do not exist for how or where e-cigarettes (and the solutions) are made or labelled. This means that there may be no consistency in how the device is made, what chemicals are added, or what is included on the label.
Myth or Fact? Alcohol circulates through every organ, tissue, and gland in the body.
FACT – Alcohol enters the bloodstream and is carried to the entire body which means that every area of the body is affected by alcohol.
True or False? Pregnant women should not drink any alcohol.
True. There is no safe time, type or amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy. Alcohol can cause a malformation of the fetus and can lead to learning, health and social effects with lifelong impacts on the fetus as well as brain injury, birth defects, behavioural problems, learning disabilities and other health problems typically referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). No alcohol during pregnancy is best.
Myth or Fact? Cannabis is natural. If it comes from a plant, it must be safe.
MYTH - The chemicals found in cannabis impact brain development and mental health, regardless of how it is consumed (smoked, eaten, vaped, etc.). In addition, cannabis smoke has cancer-causing toxins that can cause damage to the lungs if smoked or vaped and can cause impairment that can lead to injury.
Myth or Fact? Smoking cigarettes can lead to serious health problems, but smoking cannabis is safe.
MYTH - Cannabis smoke contains hundreds of toxic substances and when people smoke it, they tend to hold the smoke in for a long time exposing them to these toxins. Cannabis has been linked to many health concerns including breathing, mental health, and addiction issues, as well as incidents of impaired driving
Myth of Fact? The vapour inhaled and exhaled from an e-cigarette (vaping) device is just harmless water.
MYTH - Vaping products do not produce smoke or steam, but aerosol does consist of fine particles, containing varying amounts of propylene glycol, glycerin, flavourings, and other chemicals. Aerosol produced from an e-cigarette can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Even without nicotine or cannabis it is not harmless water vapour. Some of the chemicals found in vapour products have been linked to cancer, lung, and heart disease.
Why are there laws in place to try and limit alcohol advertising to youth?
Research shows that alcohol promotion/advertising contributes to the normalization of alcohol consumption, especially among youth. In addition, exposure to alcohol marketing lowers the age of initiation AND increases the amount consumed by current drinkers.
True or False? It is legal to drink alcohol in other countries as long as you are the legal age in your country of residence.
False: You must abide by the rules that are set in place by the government of the country that you are in. Even though you might be able to legally drink in the country you are from it is necessary to follow and know the laws of other countries.
True or False? Cannabis is now legal so anyone can use it.
FALSE – In Ontario, there are strict laws in place to keep cannabis out of the hands of children and youth. It is illegal to sell or distribute cannabis to anyone under 19 years of age. It is also illegal for someone under the age of 19 years to possess, consume, attempt to purchase, purchase, grow, or distribute cannabis.
Myth or Fact? Most young people use cannabis.
MYTH – 99% of grade 7 students and 95% of grade 8 students report NOT using cannabis in the past year (2019). Even in high school, most youth DON'T use cannabis.
Myth or Fact? Prescription drugs like OxyContin and Percocet are always safe because they are prescribed by a doctor.
MYTH – Prescription drugs can be safe BUT only for the person who was prescribed that medication. The Healthcare provider:
-Prescribes the right dose of medicine for the person’s medical condition.
-Tells them how to take the medicine correctly
-Explains side effects
When these drugs are used without a prescription or combined with other substances, they can be dangerous. In addition, prescription drugs bought from a dealer may be laced with another substance or a completely different drug.