New survey shows substance use among youth remains high in the north
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PRINCE GEORGE— Further analysis into the BC Youth Adolescent survey by the McCreary Centre Society shows that young people in the Northern Interior still use substances at a higher rate than the rest of the Province. While young people in the north have historically been known to use more substances than in places like the Lower Mainland, the most recent survey shows that substance use in youth have decreased. The percentage who had drunk alcohol dropped from 55 per cent to 51 per cent and went from one in four having tried smoking to around one in five.
The question remains is why do young people in the north use substances more? Annie Smith, executive director for the McCreary Centre Society explains that it is partially the cultural they’re raised in.
“They grow up often in households where parents are drinking. People’s social life revolves around alcohol. So, I think it’s just traditionally been part of a lot of people’s culture, to use alcohol,” explains Smith.
While there is a cultural component to the North substance use, Smith notes that some are using it to self medicate.
