Art

• Create posters encouraging students not to use substances
• Create works of art encouraging students not to drink and drive or get into a vehicle with an impaired driver
• Create works of art illustrating that the use of any motorized vehicle (e.g., boat, snow machine etc.) and drinking do not mix

Biology

• To develop an understanding of the human brain and the effects of substances on the brain, create a three dimensional model of the brain highlighting the parts of the brain that play a role in addiction
• Discuss how alcohol and drug use can affect each person differently due to genetic makeup
• Research how substances and alcohol are absorbed and metabolized by the body and how the nervous system is affected
• What impact does paternal substance use have on reproduction?
• Considering the impact of tobacco on the human body, discuss the detoxification process and withdrawal symptoms when a person is quitting
• Tobacco use has been linked to many illnesses. List these
• Analyze how the nicotine patch, nicotine gum and cessation medications (e.g., Zyban®) work
• Explore cancer development and what teratogens are. Compare environmental toxins versus the components of cigarette smoke
  • Illegal drugs
  • Find current research about the impact of marijuana use on the human body and mind. Discuss how using marijuana has the potential of being life altering
  • In what situations is marijuana considered for medical purposes? What is the process for prescribing medical marijuana? What are the restrictions?
  • Discuss the effects of drug use on the unborn child
  • Explore the health hazards of second-hand cannabis smoke
  • Alcohol
  • Describe the path that alcohol follows through the body (e.g., mouth, throat, stomach, blood system, kidneys, liver, bladder) and the health implications of alcohol on these organs
  • Describe how alcohol can affect males and females differently Discuss the implications of these differences
  • Using what you know of the way that the human brain works, discuss how alcohol use can affect each area of the brain
  • Research the links between alcohol use and chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, cancer, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, impaired immune system
  • Discuss the impact of alcohol on the growing fetus. How would these affect the baby later in life?
  • Some common over-the-counter drugs can be toxic to the liver as can alcohol. Discuss the implications of combining alcohol and medications
  • Prescription drugs
  • Drugs have been developed to help the sick get well and to manage chronic diseases. Some people become addicted to these prescription drugs. Discuss the concerns that the physician must take into account before prescribing

Business

• Cigarettes are the only product that when used as intended can cause death. Discuss the ethical implications of selling tobacco with attention to sales to minors
• Should alcohol sellers be required to post signage warning customers about the health concerns of using their products? What signs warning customers are already in existence?
• Research the taxation on alcohol and tobacco products. What do these products cost to make vs. what they sell for?
• Discuss the financial implications of smoking prohibitions in the workplace for business (e.g., fewer sick days, reduced cleaning costs, risk of fire etc.)
• Examine Canadian and U.S. regulations as they relate to alcohol and tobacco. How do these regulations hold up under the international trade agreements?
• Research tobacco’s impact on the economies of developing countries. Explore the role of illicit substance trade and the economic impact from GDP and the use of enforcement dollars
• How does pricing and taxation affect alcohol and tobacco use, particularly among young people?

Chemistry

• Research the chemical components of three prescription drugs and how these chemicals relate to the effectiveness of the drug
• Examine the chemical components of alcohol, inhalant drugs or tobacco smoke for cancer causing agents
• Some drugs are being produced in basement or closet labs. Knowing what you do about lab safety, discuss the risks associated with these situations
• Determine the chemical changes substances undergo once they are administered to the body (e.g., heroin changes into morphine during the process of metabolization)
• Review performance enhancing drug restriction by the International Olympic Committee and identify the chemical consumption and levels (e.g., caffeine, anabolic steroids, and other restricted chemicals involved with doping etc.)
• Examine the chemical composition of prescription, over-thecounter or street substances. What are the risks when substances such as ecstasy are being produced illicitly?
• Study the cancer causing chemicals found in marijuana and the impact of cancer causing chemicals used in grow houses and hydroponic labs. Explore the myth that marijuana is safe because it is “all natural”

Civics

• Have students role play a “drug deal”. Discuss the legal, ethical, health and social concerns of this act. Encourage students to decide on appropriate action
• Research the amount of taxation on alcohol and tobacco products. Should government use all tax dollars obtained from the sale of alcohol and tobacco directly for health care and substance abuse prevention efforts?

Co-operative education

• Discuss the implications of alcohol or drug misuse on work performance including safety issues such as the impact on co-workers, risks when using heavy equipment

Drama

• Research the effect of drugs and alcohol. Encourage students to create an improv situation where one or more characters are involved with substance use. Encourage audience participation by allowing them to decide what the character does next
• Write a short play that emphasizes the impact of poor decision making brought on by drug and alcohol use
• Host a “game show” format event that allows participants to experience the consequences of their actions (e.g., Truth or Consequences, Wheel of Misfortune, Fear Factor)
• Have youth create short “commercials” on substance use related topics
• Play charades to act out the effects of different drugs on the human body
• Discuss the role alcohol and drug misuse have had on the downfall of celebrities
• With a student playing the part of a well known talk show host interview an individual addicted to drugs or alcohol and invite audience participation in finding solutions to the problem

Economics

• Debate pros and cons of alcohol and tobacco advertising as it relates to the demand for these products
• Discuss health concerns of illicit drug use vs. the demands for illicit drugs
• Debate the pros and cons of increasing taxes on cigarettes/alcohol.
• Some tobacco growers are replacing their tobacco crops with other crops because of decrease in demand. Research and compare the current selling price of tobacco vs. other possible crops (e.g., barley, ginseng, peanuts)

English

• Read “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and discuss changes in the hero’s behaviour as these are influenced by drug or alcohol addiction
• Write an article encouraging people not to experiment with tobacco, drugs and alcohol
• When dispensing certain drugs the pharmacist may place a label on the product indicating “do not operate heavy equipment while using”. Students will write a brief article about what is “heavy equipment” and why it should not be used
• Role play decision-making and creative ways to “Say No” with students
• Write a letter to the federal or provincial Minister of Health Promotion expressing your concerns over alcohol and tobacco abuse
• Write an article for the school or local newspaper defining words connected with substance use such as tolerance, dependence, withdrawal and impairment
• Do substances enhance the creative abilities of an artist (e.g., musician, writer etc.)? Write an evaluative or opinion paper
• Review an article/movie in the media about substance use. Are the author’s sentiments toward substances or alcohol evident? What experiences might the author have had that would influence the way she/he writes about the issue?
• Cite examples of the attitudes society exhibits toward the use of substances. Do the attitudes and behaviours of those who use conform to the values of the larger society?
• Examples of authors who experienced problems with substances or alcohol in their personal lives include Samuel Coleridge, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sigmund Freud and Malcolm Lowry. Explore how their abilities/works may have been influenced by their use

Family Studies

• Compare the calorie/nutritional content of milk, pop, juices, alcoholic beverages etc.
• Discuss family dynamics when a member is found to be abusing substances
• Discuss how a family unit is affected by substance use. Consider long and short-term consequences on siblings and other family members
• Discuss the effect substance use has on a family. Use the influence of role modeling, values, beliefs, availability, social norming and the impact on the community
• Discuss different occasions where substances are used:
  • For cultural or religious reasons
  • During ceremonies
  • As part of a meal
  • For social gatherings
  • For healing
• What moral and social values influence the acceptance of various practices?
• Discuss why someone might use substances in a harmful way. What impact does health promotion and education have on the decision to use or not use?
• Draw a family tree highlighting relatives who have used tobacco products. Examine these drawings for generational patterns
• Pick a favourite item that you eat/wear everyday. Keep a journal for a week and record your thoughts and feelings about not having your favourite item (e.g., a particular food, drink, clothing, jewellery). Record how many times you think about the item. How might your thoughts and experiences compare to someone who is dependent on a substance?

Geography

• Explain how climate regulates which crops can grow in an area and the implication for drug growers. Comment on Canada being identified by the United Nations as a source for marijuana
• Consumption statistics for alcohol and other substances show regional variations through Canada. Discuss the reasons for these differences (e.g., nearness to ports of entry, difference in provincial legislation, population densities)
• In many third world countries, the cultivation of illicit substances plays an important economic function. Discuss this issue in detail using opium production in Thailand as an example
• Tobacco is an important cash crop for many farmers in Southern Ontario. Discuss the impact changing health attitudes have had on tobacco farmers and any measures (e.g., crop substitution) the government has introduced to remedy this situation

History

• Tobacco was first used by North American Natives and brought to Europe by early explorers. Explore the history of tobacco use and its influence on society
• Prohibition is a law making the sale of alcohol illegal. Debate the pros and cons of such a law
• What did Lenin mean by “Religion is the opiate of the people”? Why is this a negative connotation?

Law

• Examine the history of Canada’s federal substance laws
• Discuss the ramifications of tobacco/cannabis smuggling. How are they the same/different?
• Discuss federal, provincial and municipal laws around substance use and how they are enforced at each level
• Discuss the differences between legal, illegal and controlled substances
• Discuss who can be legally charged in the sale and supply of substances
• Discuss police powers of arrest and search and seizure laws in substance cases
• Discuss liability suits involving owners of licensed establishments who have served a patron past the point of intoxication. Apply the same issue to situations involving homeowners
• Discuss the controversy of substance testing in the workplace. Is this a necessary measure to protect the employee’s health or a violation of individual rights and freedoms?
• Compare Ontario and Quebec laws around the availability of alcohol in grocery stores. What impact does accessibility to alcoholic beverages have for families, teenagers and communities?
• Debate pros and cons of marijuana legalization vs decriminalization
• Penalties for illicit drug use in the USA are considerably greater than penalties in Canada. Comment on this
• You are the head of a major pharmaceutical company that produces narcotic drugs. What steps would you take to ensure that your products reach pharmacies safely?
• As Canadian lawmakers put tighter restrictions on where a person can smoke, debate the pros and cons of these laws
• Discuss the impact of substance use legislation on society’s use of mood altering substances
• The use of performance enhancing drugs is banned in many sports, yet athletes are still using these substances. List the health consequences of the use of these substances
• In Ontario, people convicted of killing another person while under the influence of alcohol have received prison sentences of up to four years. Prison terms for homicide are 25 years to life in prison. Comment on this discrepancy
• Alcohol use has been linked to many chronic diseases, (e.g., hypertension, stroke, cancer, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder, impaired immune system, etc.) as well as to many social concerns (e.g., drinking and driving, unplanned sex, violence etc.). Debate the pros and cons of a ban on alcohol use
• Why is China so harsh in executing traffickers?

Math

• Calculate the cost of a pack per day cigarette addiction. Calculate savings and/or potential purchases that a person is able to make after they quit use
• Compare the costs of nicotine replacement products to the cost of smoking
• Interpret current local drug, alcohol and tobacco use statistics. (http://www.camh.net/research/osdus.html). Work on percentage problems using these statistics or prepared graphs from these statistics
• Survey students anonymously about their personal drug use and their perception of drug use in the school population. Compare real to perceived statistics. (e.g., Students believe that 80% of students smoke; the survey shows that 20% of students smoke.)
• Calculate the costs of one drinking and driving conviction (e.g., vehicle repaired and/or impounded, missing work, legal costs, Back on Track and Ignition Interlock costs, impaired driving fines, insurance costs, and license reinstatement costs, visit www.mto. gov.on.ca). Compare this to the cost of a taxi ride or bus fare
• Calculate the costs of dressing a girl (e.g., dress, makeup, hair etc.) for her Prom. Contrast this to the costs of a drinking driving collision, pregnancy and child raising

Media Studies

• For Halloween, create a graveyard of headstones for famous people who have died as a result of alcohol, drug or tobacco use (e.g., Marlboro Man, Elvis Presley, etc.)
• Interview (anonymously) local students about their views on drugs and create a local documentary
• By twisting a popular advertising slogan tell your friends not to use drugs or alcohol
• Have students discuss the body images that media portray as desirable and how tobacco, alcohol and drug use play a role
• Discuss the role of media (e.g., television, radio and print) in influencing attitudes and behaviours regarding alcohol. In your opinion should lifestyle advertising be allowed?
• How has media helped shape attitudes towards smoking and drinking?
• Discuss counter advertising and find examples of currents ads
• Discuss techniques used in anti-alcohol and anti-substance use advertising and their effectiveness/ineffectiveness in reducing risky practices associated with the use of these substances
• Consider watching movies including “The Insider”, “Run Away Jury” or “Thank You for Smoking” about the tobacco industry, or “Walk the Line” about Johnny Cash’s alcohol and drug use
• Discuss the impact of alcohol advertising on billboards, buses, subways, restaurants, etc. Include an assessment of the proximity of billboards and the frequency of seeing ads in the neighbourhood surrounding the school/community centre. Research the regulation for billboards and schools
• Discuss the issue of alcohol and tobacco sponsorship of sports, arts, music and cultural events. How does this type of advertising affect personal recognition of the company’s product?
  • Tobacco Use
  • Create a magazine photo collage of advertising (using American magazines) and discuss who is the target audience of this tobacco advertising. Remember that when used as intended tobacco will kill and the tobacco industry must find replacement smokers
  • Watching TV or a movie, count the number of times a cigarette is lit or smoked in one hour. Note which characters are smoking and in what settings
  • Drug Use
  • Name/find photos of media personalities who have been linked to drug use and create a collage
  • Alcohol
  • Watching TV or a movie, count the number of times characters use alcohol

Music

• Research the history of music with an emphasis on modern drug culture’s influence on current music (e.g., rap, pop etc.)
• Examine lyrics from songs and discuss references made to substances and alcohol. Explore the differences according to the substance identified, the type of music (e.g., rock, pop, rap, country) and the decade the song was written
• Discuss the influence of music on attitudes and values of people today

Physics

• Prior to the current bans on tobacco use, restaurants had smoking sections. Applying the laws of physics, did smoking sections help to protect health?

Religion

• Discuss the influence of drug and alcohol use on religion/spirituality. Consider that Alcoholics Anonymous is based on the concept of finding a higher power
• Identify religions that ban drug and alcohol use either permanently or temporarily