Mayor claims 60% of Ottawa high school kids are stoned

[ollie]

This figure seems awfully high. Then again, Mayor Chiarelli is desperate to reclaim ground in what appears to be a lost cause bid for re-election.

What do the teachers in the house say?

Up to 60% of Ottawa students are getting high on pot during the school day, Chiarelli said yesterday as he unveiled a plan designed to attack drug pushers in the hallways and playgrounds.

...

When pressed on his pot-smoking data, Chiarelli referred reporters to background documents. The documents make no mention of school-based drug use in Ottawa. Documents did cite Statistics Canada data that said the rate of youth drug offences had dropped over the past three years, including a 12% decrease last year for pot-related offenses.

Mayor targets 'high' schools

[meggo]

to me that figure sounds ridiculous. some of them definitely are, but i would put it down around 25%.

[maybe slightly "higher" depending on the class, no pun intended ].

edit to add: to be honest i even think that 25% is a bit generous.

i think i'll ask my kids what they think about this statistic, thanks ollie.

Edited October 25, 2006 by Guest

[Booche]

Ollie is 60% stoned as we speak.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I heard that on the radio this morning, and thought that I'd surely heard "16", not "60". Thanks for the clarification.

Sounds like he's hitting some mighty panicky political buttons, knowing he's not coming through the other side of this election.

If my college students are any indication, the bulk of people coming out of high school are still nominally averse to pot (in terms of personal interest, anyway, if not indifference to others' use), booze still being a pretty new thing for them. What potheads I do discover tend, anyway, to be the more engaged students.

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

for actual stats, check out the Ontario Student Drug USe Survey (OSDUS) results. In 2005 31.1% of grade 7-12 students had ever used cannabis, and 26.5% had used cannabis in the past year.

http://www.camh.net/Research/osdus.html

[scottieking]

Based on the 90 or so kids I see a day, and having no personal experience with the stuff whatsoever (cough) I would estimate 4 of 90 would during the school day.

Depends on the class. I had a 10 Applied class where I would say a group of 5 to 7 on any given day.

5-10% sounds about rightish.

60% is ridiculous! I don't even think you could find that many people stoned at the average rock concert (note average and not "jamband")

[meggo]

for actual stats, check out the Ontario Student Drug USe Survey (OSDUS) results. In 2005 31.1% of grade 7-12 students had ever used cannabis, and 26.5% had used cannabis in the past year.

http://www.camh.net/Research/osdus.html

those stats sound reasonable, but chiarelli is saying 60% are getting high during the school day. crazy. scottie i would agree with your guess, again depending on which class it is.

[meggo]

i posted that article on our school's "message board" and got this reply:

"Meghan

I don't believe those numbers . I see it as an election issue with Chiarelli..attempting desperately to get votes.

I believe the number is more like 20 % use drugs during the school day. The number may be higher for the recreational user who participates on weekends or evenings. Part of the difficulty is that there is little to no consequence for using drugs. If a kid is caught with a couple of joints , the dope in taken and the kid gets a lecture. Which leads to ....Do we want to charge kids for having posession of a couple joints? What would be the consequence? Don't say anything that you are not willing or able to follow through with ,as kids now of days will call your bluff.

I have worked at the jail for Young Offenders , do we want to send a kid with 2 joints to jail for 10 days with alleged murders, armed robbers and sexual assaulters.

Most of the problem goes back to parenting.......don't get me started as I have VERY strong views on parenting issues.

Later

Tom

"

[Hux]

Clearly Munter is providing high school kids with drugs.

[Dr. J]

I don't believe those numbers . I see it as an election issue with Chiarelli..attempting desperately to get votes.

Exactly. There are so many real issues for politicians to tackle why do they insist on inventing artificial ones.

I can just see it now:

Strategist#1: So what's the response been like out Barrhaven way?

#2 Not good really. What do you think we should do?

#1 Hmmmmmmmmm....I know. Let's tell them 60% of their kids are smoking dope at school!

#2 Alright, good one!

If I were that principal in Barrhaven, I'd be a little concerned about what I did or didn't say to Mr. Chiarelli and why I said it. Can't be that many high schools out there.

[bradm]

Chiarelli needs to be called on this one. I want some reporter to press him, hard, on the source of these numbers, and have Chiarelli either produce the source, or admit his numbers are incorrect.

Aloha,

Brad

[StoneMtn]

Maybe the mayor simply hangs around with a group of young delinquents; skewing his perspective.

[zero]

I think the most pressing question is how does Meggo ask her Spanish class if 60% of them are high. I'm guessing it's not yo quiero el higho el noono.

[phishtaper]

i once walked past a student in a tutorial at mcmaster and was bowled over by the strong pungent smell coming from the very large backpack she was so intensely protecting, tucked between her feet under her seat. hmmmmm.

perhaps this single case was skewing the average here, and she alone was statistically factored in as representing 200 or 300 students in calculating the 60% mean. LOL. easily, she could have supplied that many so, maybe the mayor is just not so good at math.

[AD]

Chiarelli said principals and vice-principals have told him that 40-60% of the student body could be smoking pot in the course of the school day.

just like 40-60% of the city definitely won't be voting for him, or his version of truthiness.

[jayr]

I think 40-60% of all (Ontario) high school kids are getting stoned. Doesn't surprise me much.

[ollie]

I think 40-60% of all (Ontario) high school kids are getting stoned. Doesn't surprise me much.

I'd buy the stat that 40-60% have TRIED pot but not that 40-60% are smoking it at school EVERY DAY.

[zero]

Man I'm in high schools all the time and it's nothing close to that. 16% would surprise me.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I have students from Barrhaven who say there's so little going by way of culture or diversions there that the only thing they find to do of interest is find new ways to get wasted. Statistically, I'm sure that's way overblown, but if there is that kind of stereotype floating around, and the principal in question was driven by it (unless things have changed, these are typically the people the most far removed from actual student culture in a school), and Chiarelli is prone to want to accept it (law & order is a tried-and-true election platform), he got on board, assuming nobody would call him on it.

His feet should be held to the fire with this. I hate when pot gets demonised like that.

[meggo]

I think the most pressing question is how does Meggo ask her Spanish class if 60% of them are high. I'm guessing it's not yo quiero el higho el noono.

i read that article to my students this morning and they thought it was pretty ridiculous as well, i think some of them were offended. i encouraged them to write some letters in to the editor about it.

one kid did proudly yell "YEAH!" when i asked if that whole half of the class was stoned.

[Blurry]

Wonder what % of teachers are stoned?

[Booche]

I have students from Barrhaven who say there's so little going by way of culture or diversions there that the only thing they find to do of interest is find new ways to get wasted.

They have culture on computers now as well as teaching you new ways to get wasted. All this rolled into a singular object is named Esau.

[bouche]

I think this is more accurate:

60 percent of students that are high are high on pot as opposed to other drugs.

[mattm]

I was stoned all through high school. Hell, I'm in school now and I'm good and stoned.

I know at my school probably that many kids in grade 10 or so up had TRIED it but not smoked everyday. I did a lot but most just did once in a blue moon, like you get drunk at school once in a blue moon for the hell of it, not every day, not every week even.

Makes school easier for me since it helps me concentrate though I must admit it does lower the social ability a tad.

Edited October 25, 2006 by Guest

[Dr. J]

(unless things have changed, these are typically the people the most far removed from actual student culture in a school)

hey now wait a minute, are you bad-mouthing principals? hahaha just kiddin' DEM. I know exactly what you mean. I've said before that education is one of the few professions where the more irrelevant you become the more they pay you :crazy: . During my years as principal I always spent more time sitting in the smoking section talking to the kids than I ever did sitting in the staff room talking to staff. As a result, while most of my fellow administrators were inevitably reacting to difficult situations, 9 times out of 10, I was dealing with such things before they ever happened. Just made live easier....for everyone.

His feet should be held to the fire with this.

I agree. This is politics of the lowest order.