For the last 19 years, Recovery Alberta Mental Health & Addiction, the Drumheller Dragons and area schools have teamed up to promote the harmful effects of tobacco.
And they do it through knee hockey.
Weedless Wednesday was January 22. This year 95 Grade 6 students from St. Anthony's School and Greentree School met at Greentree School Gymnasium for the annual Knee Hockey Tournament.
Martin McSween of Recovery Alberta Mental Health & Addiction has been organizing the event.
“It is really cool the partnership with the Dragons is still really going strong,” said McSwewen.
Often Morrin and Delia also participate, however, this was an off year because of the Grade 5/6 split classrooms. They will be there for the 20th anniversary next season
The event coincides with National Non-smoking Week. Weedless Wednesday, the day of the event is an opportunity for people who use tobacco to make a conscious effort to go a day without smoking and try to make change.
This year the national theme was Quit Your Own Way, and the AHS theme was Improve Your Health.
The event raises awareness among students at an age where they may start making decisions about tobacco use. While there have been successes, McSween says it is a tough slope to climb, and rates of use have increased.
“Things that we have seen is because of electronic smoking devices, our resources we focus on smoking and vaping, but I also include chew,” said McSween. “Chew use has increased in football, hockey and baseball.”
Chew and smokeless tobacco have been banned from many Major League stadiums and banned for players, however, the use of oral nicotine pouches has been on the rise. McSween feels this may have been a kickstarter for the rise in popularity of chew and nicotine pouches.
He also did presentations for high school students and he has heard that electronic smoking devices are a problem in schools.
“We think that’s what brought the smoking rate back up. It was going down, and trending down, but those devices made it come back up,” he said.
The Family Fun Committee gave the organizers funds to purchase knee hockey sticks. The Dragons match the funding, to be able to send each participant home with a stick. They held an autograph session with the kids at the end of the event.
