The Real DOPE Project
You have choices.
Safety Is for Everyone. That includes you and your friends.
Dignity
Using a substance does not tell us your worth or your future.
Information
Know the risks, notice trouble and know what to do.
Choice
You can say no, change your mind and ask for help.
The safest choice for teens is not to use cannabis, nicotine or alcohol.
Talk about it: What would make this conversation useful to you?
Conversation notes and sources
About 45 seconds. Ask permission for eight minutes; do not demand a confession. TRDP is public safety education grounded in dignity and harm reduction. This teen lesson is a new teaching adaptation, not a clinically validated course. It does not replace emergency or medical care. Let the teen skip a question. Do not diagnose from a disclosure.
Emergency action comes first
Can't wake them? Call 911.
Breathing trouble, a seizure, chest pain or severe confusion also need urgent help.
Call + stay
Give the exact location. Tell the dispatcher what you know.
Help breathing
Not breathing normally? Follow dispatcher CPR instructions. Unresponsive but breathing normally? Place on their side.
Possible opioid?
Give naloxone if available. It does not reverse alcohol, cannabis or nicotine poisoning.
Do not leave someone to sleep it off. Do not delay 911 to finish this lesson.
Talk about it: How would you tell 911 exactly where you are?
Conversation notes and sources
About 75 seconds. Call 911 for suspected serious poisoning: cannot wake, slow or irregular breathing, collapse, seizure, blue/grey lips, chest pain or severe confusion. You do not need every sign. Follow the dispatcher; if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR as directed and use an AED if available. If unresponsive but breathing normally, place on their side and monitor breathing. If opioid exposure is possible, give naloxone according to the kit/dispatcher; it is not an antidote for the other substances. Do not induce vomiting, give a cold shower, or use coffee as a remedy. Give nothing by mouth to a drowsy, confused or vomiting person. For possible poisoning without emergency signs, call Poison-X now: 1-844-764-7669 in Ontario. For an awake anxious person after cannabis, stop use, stay with a sober adult in a quiet place and seek poison-centre advice. Do not assume new chest pain or breathing difficulty is just panic.
A pause before a risky decision
PAUSE. PASS. PHONE.
4:19 is a reminder to pause before the moment. You can use it at any time.
PAUSE
What is it? How am I feeling? What could change? How will I leave?
PASS
No thanks. I am good. You do not owe anyone a bigger explanation.
PHONE
Keep a sober ride and a trusted adult one call away. In an emergency, call 911 first.
I can say no. I can change my mind. I can call for help.
Talk about it: Which words sound natural when you say them?
Conversation notes and sources
About 60 seconds. TRDP's 4:19 concept is one intentional minute before 4:20, or another possible risk. It is a clock cue, not a four-minute-nineteen-second exercise. PAUSE. PASS. PHONE. is a new teen teaching phrase, not a validated intervention or a promise of safety. PASS means decline; it does not mean pass a substance to another person. Ask the teen to choose their own refusal words. A trusted adult should be sober, calm, reachable and willing to arrange safety. No driving, cycling, scooters, swimming or riding with an impaired driver after substance use.
Cannabis / THC
A vape is not a dose meter.
THC can affect memory, attention, judgment and coordination. Strong products raise the risk.
Pass on uncertainty
Avoid unknown cartridges, shared vapes and high-THC concentrates. Familiar packaging cannot prove contents.
Do not chase effects
Edibles can take up to 4 hours to reach full effect. Adding more or mixing with alcohol can make things worse.
Notice trouble
Panic, paranoia, dizziness, vomiting or confusion: stop, tell a sober adult and call Poison-X for advice.
Chest pain, breathing trouble, a seizure or severe confusion? Call 911.
Talk about it: A friend says the gummy did nothing. What could you say?
Conversation notes and sources
About 60 seconds. Delay or avoid cannabis use at this age. Vapes and concentrates can contain high THC; the number of puffs does not reliably tell you the amount absorbed. Do not offer a dosing demonstration. Edibles may take 30 minutes to 2 hours to begin and up to 4 hours for full effects; effects may last 12 hours, with some lingering up to 24 hours. This timing is a reason not to take more, not a countdown to another dose or permission to drive. No home inspection, smell, branding or small test use can establish that an unknown product is safe. Do not claim that every vape contains opioids. If an awake person feels panicky, use a quiet place, a sober companion and poison advice. Escalate emergency signs immediately. Frequent cannabis use, craving or effects on everyday life deserve support, not a label.
Nicotine vaping
Notice the pull of nicotine.
Nicotine can create cravings and withdrawal. A nicotine vape is different from a THC vape.
Spot the pattern
Reaching for it automatically? Irritable without it? Those are reasons to get support, not feel ashamed.
Make a different move
Delay the urge, change location, chew ordinary gum or take a short walk. Ask a friend not to offer.
Feeling sick?
Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating or a racing heart after nicotine: stop and call Poison-X now.
Keep vape liquid away from skin, mouths, children and pets. Suspected exposure? Call Poison-X.
Talk about it: What could you do during the moment you usually reach for it?
Conversation notes and sources
About 60 seconds. Ask what vaping does for the teen: social connection, boredom, stress or a craving. These strategies help interrupt a pattern; they do not guarantee that withdrawal will be easy. Avoid suggesting cigarettes, nicotine pouches or another substance as a substitute. Health Canada's I quit for me is a youth resource with practical quitting approaches. Do not use its self-screening as a diagnosis. Nicotine liquid can poison by swallowing or skin exposure; contact a poison centre for individualized first aid. Severe symptoms such as collapse, breathing difficulty or a seizure require 911. Do not take more nicotine to treat feeling sick. Handle damaged or unwanted batteries through proper e-waste/hazardous-waste disposal, not dismantling or household trash.
Alcohol
Fast drinking can outrun you.
Alcohol affects judgment before a person reliably notices. Poisoning can get worse after drinking stops.
Choose zero
Choose a non-alcoholic drink. Pass on shots, chugging, drinking games and mystery drinks.
Do not mix
Do not combine alcohol with cannabis, opioids, sedatives or other drugs. Energy drinks do not sober you up.
Notice trouble
Slurring, stumbling or vomiting means stop and get a sober adult. Hard to wake or abnormal breathing? Call 911.
Coffee, food, water and cold showers cannot reverse alcohol poisoning.
Talk about it: Someone says to let a vomiting friend sleep. What do you do?
Conversation notes and sources
About 60 seconds. There is no recommended safe drinking allowance for a 16-year-old. Adult low-risk limits are not teen targets. Choosing less or stopping lowers exposure, but neither eliminates risk. A large or strong can can contain more alcohol than expected. Keep drinks in view and decline open drinks of uncertain contents. Do not pressure anyone to finish. Vomiting plus marked drowsiness/confusion, collapse, seizures, slow/irregular breathing or blue/grey skin calls for 911; do not wait for all the signs. For uncertain possible poisoning without severe signs, call Poison-X. Never leave the person alone. Do not force food or fluids, especially if drowsy or vomiting. If someone drinks heavily and regularly or gets shaking/sweating without alcohol, seek prompt medical advice rather than attempting withdrawal alone.
Try the words once
Make your exit easy.
You can leave before there is a crisis. A good friend does not need you to prove anything.
Say it
“No thanks, I am good.” “Not tonight.” “I do not know what is in that.”
Move
Repeat once, step away, find a sober friend and arrange a sober ride.
Call
Agree on a pickup word such as RIDE. Send your location. For danger or poisoning, call 911 first.
Never get in with an impaired driver. You can call even after breaking a rule.
Talk about it: Who are your first and backup people to call?
Conversation notes and sources
About 60 seconds. Role-play just one situation, then switch roles. The adult can promise to arrange safe transport and keep the immediate response calm, while leaving later safety conversations for when everyone is sober. Do not promise that there will never be boundaries or emergency disclosure. Agree on a pickup word and a backup adult together. If the adult cannot personally drive, they help arrange a safe alternative. Do not make the teen's access to help depend on giving names of friends or sellers.
The rest of your evening
What do you want more of?
Your interests deserve more time than this presentation.
One interest
Music, sport, cooking, design, gaming with friends, photography or something else you choose.
One curiosity question
What would you like to learn, build, investigate or help change? Explore a subject, art, trade, training or work idea together.
One next step
Choose one activity to try this week and one safety choice you want to keep.
No need to choose your whole future tonight.
Talk about it: What should we do next?
Conversation notes and sources
About 45 seconds. End the formal lesson here. Ask what the young person likes before proposing hobbies. Choose one low-cost experiment and a date; do it together if wanted. If university interests them, Ontario Universities' Info is one option. Make equal room for trades, work, training, arts and other interests. Do not imply that a disclosure ruins university prospects or that a hobby cures a substance-use problem. Return to an ordinary shared activity.
