Education involves all sectors of society, and one of the challenges we have is, yes, it is important to get that education to the public, particularly with youth, because with some of the potency of these drugs, particularly with illicit fentanyl, they try and they die. They don't have a substance abuse disorder. They're experimenting. They're adolescents. I didn't have a full brain when I was an adolescent. It goes with the state of life.
The point is, we need to be able to provide them with education, but we also need to encourage them to get engaged with other prosocial activities so they are not bored, they have recreational, cultural, artistic, sports and other pursuits. Part of it is also providing other activities to youth. The education is important, as well as the education of the teachers, or whoever is doing this. There might be an interface between the schools and the public health sector, but the education there is important.
There is also that wider level of education. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has done work on infographics and so on for parents to have this conversation with their children so they are better equipped to discuss this around the dinner table.
There is also education with regard to health care professionals, because we have stigma entrenched within the health care system. More can be done there. We are seeing within Corrections sometimes this dynamic tension between correctional staff and therapy staff. More education would be helpful there. People have their roles, but we need to be able to think about ways of breaking down the friction between those roles to have synergy rather than a sense of conflict.
There is also education of health care providers. Some of these individuals are treated very poorly within hospitals, particularly if they have a concurrent mental health and addiction problem. They might go into a mental health facility, and if they slip and use, they are kicked out. If their depression gets worse, if their psychosis gets worse, they get treated. This is not rational health care service. We need to be thinking much more rationally, using the evidence and applying it in improving our systems of care.
That is a fairly broad answer to your question on education.