TORONTO — A high school in Barrie, Ont., is facing criticism after students were handed pamphlets offering advice on “safer snorting” of drugs as part of a harm reduction initiative.Photos circulating online show a booklet titled “Safer Snorting,” which includes suggestions such as rinsing the inside of the nose after snorting drugs, switching nostrils “to give each side a break,” and crushing substances “into a fine powder before snorting.”The pamphlet also encourages students to personalize their snorting equipment with coloured tape or paper “to better recognize your own when using with others.”The material was reportedly distributed at Barrie North Collegiate Institute.The booklet advises users to use saline spray, vitamin E oil or water-based lubricants to reduce irritation caused by drug use, and recommends speaking with a healthcare provider or harm reduction worker if pain develops.Critics on social media argued the material normalizes illegal drug use among teenagers, while supporters of harm reduction policies said the information is intended to reduce the spread of disease and injury among students who may already be using drugs.Harm reduction strategies have become increasingly common in Canadian schools and public health programs amid rising overdose deaths and concerns about fentanyl contamination in the illegal drug supply.It was not immediately clear whether the pamphlets were produced by the school itself or by a public health organization working with the school. School board officials have not publicly detailed how widely the material was distributed or whether parents were informed beforehand.The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit have both promoted harm reduction education in recent years as part of broader public health efforts related to substance use among youth.
