School districts graded on smoking policies

The grades were calculated using a scoring system in the categories of organization, smoke-free environment, enforcement, tobacco education and cessation, and youth possession. For example, Lethbridge SD received zero out of three points for the policy item “Includes a rationale that discusses the health, social, and environmental implications of tobacco use.” It also scored zero out of five for the policy item, “Prohibits the possession of any smoking materials, including e-cigarettes, cannabis/marijuana, shisha and hookah/waterpipes, on school property.”

Holy Spirit received top marks for those policy items but was docked for not listing all tobacco and smoking products in its policy, and for the policy item, “Communicates the policy to students, staff and visitors through memos, emails and prominent signage, as well as in the student code of conduct.”

Hagen said the criteria are based on best practices and will be especially important when pot becomes legal.

“We encourage them to follow those best practices. If they do, not only will they keep kids drug-free and improve their health, it will also improve the learning ability, because healthy kids make better learners,” he said.

ASH has created an online hub to help school boards create effective policies. It includes comparison tables, lists effective programs, and provides model policies. The Edmonton-based organization said it wants to work in good faith with schools around the province and help with the challenges that pot legalization will create.

“We’re very concerned about the potential ‘renormalization’ of public smoking because cannabis legalization has the potential to result in greater visibility of smoking and vaping in public areas,” he said. “However, if municipalities and school boards and post-secondary institutions and provincial governments take the appropriate steps, then that risk is minimized.”

Hagen added a five-year-old doesn’t know the difference between burning and vaping, or tobacco and cannabis, and adults need to “model” healthy habits.

According to ASH, 25,000 students in grades six to 12 in Alberta are tobacco users. The information is from a 2015 survey.

by Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

School districts graded on smoking policies

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