Talking drugs, St. John's outreach group launches drug awareness video

A St. John's youth outreach group has launched a new drug awareness video and hopes it will get people talking about substance abuse.

"We want young people to view the video," said Angela Crockwell, executive director of Thrive.

"We'd love to see service providers, teachers, parents, and hopefully start a discussion … about drug use and substance abuse in our community."

The seven minute video stems from a three-year project between Thrive and the MacMorran Community Centre in Buckmaster's Circle in St. John's.

The video features three people who work in drug outreach programs talk about what they witness on the street and how the drug climate has changed in St. John's.

"There's really three main themes that we wanted to bring out," Crockwell said.

"What does substance abuse look like in our community? How prevalent is it, but also what can we do to support people … this impacts everyone in our community."

Crockwell said not only is the number of drug users growing, the addicts are getting younger, and the drugs are getting harsher.

"I think the nature of drugs that we see people are doing are much more dangerous so I think it's a real concern for everybody and all aspects of our society."