Substance Abuse in Canada is a series of reports that draw attention to contemporary substance abuse issues and their implications for policy and practice.
Every year, CCSA conducts a detailed consultation process with professionals in the field to determine which particular topics require focused attention. Once a theme is selected, CCSA identifies a team of professionals to examine the current evidence and write or review the chapters. Topics are examined by exploring the impact on the health and well-being of Canadians and communicating the "need-to-know" issues for policy makers and practitioners.
In the first edition, Current Challenges and Choices, a number of issues were identified and explored as separate chapters ranging from new directions in preventing alcohol problems to alternative sanctions for cannabis use and possession, and from drugs and driving to abuse of prescription medications.
The second edition, Youth in Focus, reviews current knowledge about youth substance abuse in Canada, and suggests future directions for action. First, patterns of youth substance use and related harms in the general population are reviewed and contrasted with patterns among non-mainstream youth. The report then examines a range of Canadian responses to youth substance use and also devotes a chapter to the effects of substance use on youth brain development. A chapter on gaps in our approaches provides the backdrop for the exploration of areas that require action.