Not My Kid forum offers parents help in dealing with opioids crisis

Windsorites are getting their chance to attend a Not My Kid forum, which was held in three county locations last year to tell parents about the opioid epidemic, how to spot signs their teens are using drugs and where to find help.

The free event — set for Thursday, Feb. 1 at the Caboto Club from 6 to 9 p.m. — is also designed for teachers, grandparents, agency workers and anyone else concerned with the abuse of opioids among local youth.

The first of these forums was held last February in LaSalle after mental health and addiction nurses working at area high schools raised the alarm about an opioid epidemic among teens. Not My Kid forums were also held in Kingsville and Amherstburg last year.

This region’s rising opioid-related death rate recently hit 9.1 per 100,000 population, which is 46-per-cent higher than the provincial rate. And local rates of opioid use, opioid prescriptions and related emergency department visits are all close to top in the province.

Jodi Pearce, one of the main organizers of the Not My Kid forums, said the Thursday event will feature presentations by a reformed addict and a mother who lost her son to drug use. Windsor Police will be on hand to provide up-todate information on the problem. And there will be basic information on addiction as well as training for the use of naloxone, the anti-overdose drug being provided free by the Ontario government to save lives.