Abstract:

Opioid abuse has become the most significant public health crisis, both in Canada and around much of the world. Currently, Canada is the second largest consumer of prescription opioids (INCB, 2013; CIHI, 2016), with a 203% increase in usage between 2000 and 2010 (INCB, 2011; NACPDM, 2013). From 2008-2014, there was a dramatic national increase in opioid overdose hospitalization rates, up 62% for people aged 15-24 (UN, 2016). One need look no further than daily media reports to confirm that illicit use and abuse of opiates, combined with the growing practice of tainting street drug with fentanyl, is killing Canadians. The risk is increasingly palpable, for people from every walk of life and residing in every corner of our country. Undoubtedly, the same can be said of so many regions around the world. Moving from acute intervention strategies associated with opioid use and abuse, to a broader focus that equally includes prevention, harm reduction, and educational strategies is essential. Within this broader, lifesaving agenda, all members of society are called to contribute what they have to offer. As such, the role of the post-secondary education sector (PSES), and importantly the role of post-secondary educators (PSE) must not be overlooked. In tackling this crisis of such epic proportions, the reach and the influence of PSE and the PSES must be leveraged. As knowledge workers, involved in both creating knowledge and transmitting knowledge, PSE have the opportunity to directly influence life-saving knowledge uptake amongst an extraordinarily large portion of the young adults nationally and internationally. This presentation is a call to action to all PSE, from all disciplines, to reflect on how they can engage in activities directed toward addressing this greatest health challenge of our time. The authors will share their intersections with the issue and provide examples of how they have authentically and creatively responded to this deep call for action in service of humanity.

References:
[1] Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits Due to Opioid Poisoning in Canada. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2016.
[2] International Narcotics Control Board. (2013). Narcotics Drugs: Estimated World Requirements for 2013; Statistics for 2011. New York: United Nations.
[3] International Narcotics Control Board. (2011). Narcotics Drugs: Estimated World Requirements for 2012; Statistics for 2010. New York: United Nations.
[4] National Advisory Committee on Prescription Drug Misuse. (2013). First do no harm: Responding to Canada’s prescription drug crisis. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.
[5] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2016). World Drug Report 2016, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.16.XI.7.

Keywords:

Opioid abuse, social responsibility, ethics.