APPENDIX 23
Letter from Cara MacDowall, Communications
Officer, DrugScope
Thank you for your letter regarding drugs education
and prevention work with young people. DrugScope as an organisation
prides itself on providing balanced, accurate drug information
to professionals and the public. For professionals, DrugScope
has produced a number of guidance documents, supported and endorsed
by the Department for Education and Skills. We have also produced
three drug education magazines; one for children aged 11-14 (D-Brief),
one for older teenagers (D-Mag) and one for parents to assist
them in talking to their children about drugs (D-Word).
DrugScope research has shown that by the age
of 11, many primary school children have an extensive knowledge
about the world of drugs.[5]
Research shows that legal and illegal drug use among young people
is rising with 42 per cent of 16-19 year olds in 2000 indicating
that they have ever taken any drug.[6]
Whether we like it or not, drugs are part of most young people's
lives. It is from this premise that DrugScope believes young people
should be given balanced, accurate information about drugs.
Evidence about different drug education approaches
is inconclusive about its effects on the behaviour changes that
will prevent drug use. DrugScope would, however, advocate the
importance of credible and accurate information to young people
over a "just say no approach". A "just say no approach"
or shock tactics do not connect with young peoples' reality; they
are not credible with young people who may think the message,
in their experience, does not reflect the whole truth. The approach
may also make young people seek information elsewhere, from friends,
for example, which may not be accurate.
DrugScope's view is shared by the current Minister
with responsibility for drugs, Bob Ainsworth who said to the Committee
on 12 February:
"We [the Government] are trying to be effective
and the judgement that we have come to in deciding how we could
be effective is that preaching at young people is not going to
work. I know there are people who advocate that, and there was
the `Just Say No` campaign and everything else, but if we thought
that would work, we would certainly be looking to go down that
road. Our evaluation is that it is not going to and what we are
effectively going to do, if we attempt to preach to young people,
is switch them off and they will not listen at all. So what we
are trying to do is equip them with credible information, so they
do not wind up getting themselves into situations without a degree
of knowledge."
The likelihood of young people coming across
or perhaps trying drugs is high. DrugScope would rather ensure
that young people are equipped with the facts about drugs; what
they are, what they look like, what they do, what the risks are
so that if they do come across them, they are informed. As the
introduction of D-Brief says, "no shocks, no horrors, just
the truth".
I do hope that this clarifies DrugScope's widely
supported approach to drug education.
March 2002
5 Wetton, R (1997) Drug Education: Selecting Materials
for Classroom Use: a Report of Research Undertaken to Inform Guidance
to Teachers and Guidance to Producers and Providers (report
to the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse and Drug Education Forum),
London: Standing Conference on Drug Abuse. Back
6
Ramsay M, Baker P, Goulden C, Sharp C, Sondhi A (2001) Drug Misuse
declared in 2000: Results from the British Crime Survey, London:
Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. Back
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