Thank you, Dr. Barakett.
Canadian youth have the second-highest rate of cannabis use worldwide, which is already very problematic, this even before recreational cannabis becomes legal. Cannabis is the number two substance used by teens after alcohol, with just over one in five teens, or 21%, using at least once. However, as teens grow older, consumption rises to over one third—actually 37%—in grade 12.
Whether the minimum age for recreational cannabis consumption is set at 18, 21, or 25, it's not going to matter much if we don't equip parents and kids with better approaches to dealing with drug use. Drug Free Kids Canada has already begun prevention education campaigns, but much more will be required.
We already have produced a brochure that has been distributed, with 100,000 copies, and a multi-million dollar, multimedia national campaign to support it has been running since mid-June. It will end at the end of September and will be repeated next fall until January 2019.
A recent study has allowed DFK to assess the value of prevention to society. The lifetime cost to society of one teenager suffering with addiction is $450,000. This amount factors in health, law enforcement, and loss of productivity, but not the human cost to individuals and families.
The benefit of DFK's prevention messaging, which encourages parents to engage in meaningful conversations with their kids about drugs, has been demonstrated to have protected 700 teens from substance abuse every year. If the cost to society of an addicted teen is $450,000, then DFK's prevention education messaging has saved Canadians close to $2 billion during our six years in operation.
As a society, we need to demonstrate to our youth that there are better ways to deal with personal or mental health issues than turning to cannabis or other substances. We believe that parents can be central to changing the relationship that kids have with drugs, and we are here to educate and support them. We want to help parents build stronger resiliency in their kids to deal with the realities teens face in the 21st century.
At this point, we know about the negative consequences of cannabis. Let's make sure we provide effective education and prevention awareness strategies well before legislation occurs, with ongoing messages that are consistent and clear, to ensure that our youth are protected.
We must remind you of the government's pledge to allocate a portion of the revenues to prevention and education. This is the only way to make sure that young people are equipped to make informed decisions on a substance known to be detrimental to their health and well-being but soon to become legal.
I would like to thank Dr. Barakett, the DFK advisory council, and this committee for allowing us to present our point of view.