Q & A with Ed Adlaf, Head, Population & Life Course Studies and Scientific Researcher

At the Centre

Q How and why did the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) get started?
A There was a long history before OSDUS. The first drug use survey started in Toronto in 1968. The request came from the Toronto District School Board to the former Addiction Research Foundation (now CAMH). Reginald Smart, a research scientist at CAMH, developed the initial surveys from 1968-1972. At that time there was growing concern about the use of LSD and other hallucinogens. OSDUS, as we know it, officially began in 1977 when Reg implemented it across the province.

Q When did you get involved?
A I started at the former ARF (now CAMH) as a summer student in 1979 and then began work on my first OSDUS in 1981.

Q What's your educational training?
A I have a PhD in Sociology from York University. My PhD supervisor, Michael Lanphier, directed the LeDain Commission surveys (a commission of inquiry into the non-medical use of drugs) in the early 1970s.

Q How soon does planning begin for the next OSDUS?
A Very soon. There's always momentum with surveys in one stage or another. We will soon be developing an evaluation questionnaire and deciding what new information needs there might be. By May, we'll be issuing the mental health component of OSDUS. It's a different report but culled from the same survey source as OSDUS. We'll also be looking at approaching the more than 30 school boards again in August for the next OSDUS survey. We need a long window for negotiations and approvals.

Q How do you think the results of OSDUS influence or impact service providers,  policy makers and others in Ontario, and beyond?
A It definitely has an impact. Basically, it provides general knowledge and has multiple uses. For example, when the United Nations or the World Health Organization prepare world reports, OSDUS data is often used to represent adolescent drug use for Canada.  I get many requests from government for data. For example public health units often want more regional OSDUS data. The Attorney General of Canada used it in defending the Tobacco Control Act and it was also used in an analysis about changing the legal drinking age. Service or agency staff often use OSDUS data as a basis of evidence when they are trying to increase their funding. At CAMH, youth is one of our provincial priorities so access to such comprehensive data helps us plan for the future.

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