Information for Professionals

1. Pre-contemplation - A person is not even thinking about a change
2. Contemplation - A person is thinking about a change but not ready to make it
3. Preparation - A person is ready to change and planning how to do it
4. Action - A person is actively making the change
5. Maintenance - A person is sustaining the change over the long term

For more information, check the online self-directed tutorial available through the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Stages of Change.

A brief intervention by a health professional can have effects lasting up to a year. It can reduce the risks associated with drug use, including injuries, violence and chronic disease.

For more information about screening tools, check the following links:

• Canada's Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines
• Information for Health Care Professionals: Cannabis and the cannabinoids
• Information for Health Care Practitioners - Medical Use of Cannabis
• Ontario Medical Association's Cannabis Resource Centre
  
• Simplified Guideline for Prescribing Medical Cannabinoids in Primary Care
• The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids

As an educator it is important to know about the impact legalization will have on students and what information and supports are available to parent, guardians and students.

The following are resources that educators can use to support parents and guardians. They can help provide information about cannabis, cannabis legalization, risks, signs of a problem, how to help your child, and where to get more information and support. 

• Cannabis: What Parents/Guardians and Caregivers Need to Know
• Cannabis Talk Kit
• Youth-Specific Effects of Early Cannabis Use

Below are educator resources that can be used in the classroom to support students. These resources include information on how to support educators on early signs of mental health and addition problems, promote mental health and give tips on reducing the likelihood of students developing a substance use problem.

• Cannabis Information Kit
• Cannabis Fact Sheet
• Cannabis: What Educators Need to Know
• 10 Questions about Cannabis Use and Teens
• Supporting Minds: An Educator's Guide to Promoting Students' Mental Health and Well-being
• School Mental Health ASSIST
• Talking Pot with Youth: A Guide for Youth Allies

Consuming cannabis in the workplace is illegal.

Employers (and supervisors):

• Need to know the rules for cannabis
• Will be required to address workplace hazards, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)

Employees and workers:

• Who are unable or unfit to work safely could be a hazard to themselves or to others in the workplace
• Have a duty to perform work safely and to report any hazards to their supervisor or employer under the OHSA

The information provided to you by Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services and its staff does not constitute legal advice. To determine your rights and obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act, Cannabis Act and the Smoke-free Ontario Act and their regulations, please contact your legal counsel or refer to the legislation.

Resources

• Workplace Strategies: Risk of Impairment from Cannabis (PDF) 
• Clearing the Haze: The Impacts of Marijuana in the Workplace (PDF)

Resources from the Public Health Resource Library

Resources on substance misuse prevention may be borrowed free of charge from the Public Health Resource Library:

• Substance misuse resources
• Parenting resources