Following an increase in drug-related calls, officers in Tisdale, Sask., wanted to raise awareness about the issue. A youth-focused drug awareness presentation is one way they’re doing that.

Officer in charge of the detachment, Sergeant Wanita Minty says they have had parents calling concerned about their children, more calls from the hospital about drug-related disturbances as well as attending three overdose calls.

There were a string of overdoses in December 2021 and that same year there were 225 confirmed and 239 suspected overdose deaths in Saskatchewan, according to the province’s Coroner’s Service, more than any other year on record.

To combat the problem they developed a drug-awareness program for middle and high school students in the area.

It is an interactive presentation where officers discuss risks posed by legal drugs such as alcohol and cannabis, it also explains the dangers of harder drugs, especially fentanyl. The drug is 20 to 40 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, increasing the risk of accidental overdose. It is also odourless and tasteless.

And Sgt. Minty says one message they want to make sure people walk away with is that they can call 911 during a suspected drug overdose. Under the Good Samaritan Act you won’t get in trouble for reporting an overdose.