Drug Education News

There is considerable media interest in a report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction which says the United Kingdom (by which they mean England and Wales) has the highest cocaine use in Europe.
Headlines include:

3% of all Europeans have tried cocaine
1% of all Europeans have tried cocaine in the last year
Between 1 [...]

Young People Now look at whether there may be more young people using crack than official figures suggest:
An estimated 25,000 young people have tried crack cocaine, but many drug agencies believe this figure could be much higher.
They point to a study from Imperial College London which indicates:
there could be 46,000 crack cocaine users aged 15 [...]

The Social Exclusion Unit have produced a report on young adults (16 to 24 years old) with complex needs. One of those complex needs is substance misuse (including alcohol but not, apparently, VSA). They point out that young people are the main users of drugs, and that vulnerable young people may are disproportionately represented:

The 2003 [...]

The Centre for Public Health has produced a briefing to:
describe the four tiered approach to drug prevention and treatment of young people; it’s efficacy and relationship to current drug prevention policy; and within this context, to present evidence from recent Government sponsored research into the effectiveness of interventions within each tier.
There is a section on [...]

The ALG do an annual survey of Londoners. This year they have asked young people between the ages of 11 and 17 about their concerns.
Of the issues raised drug use and pushers was the third highest concern for this age group.

Government News Network have a press release from the Home Office:
Selling alcohol to children is illegal and will not be tolerated warned Home Office Minister Paul Goggins, as he announced that more than 5,500 sting operations will take place in the run-up to Christmas.
Under age volunteers, under the supervision of Trading Standards officers, will try [...]

From the Sunday Times:
CANNABIS is to keep its listing as a low-risk drug. The Home Office downgraded the drug to class C in 2004, meaning it has a low risk of addiction and few long-term health hazards. The government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs found that although there was evidence linking cannabis and [...]

Hertfordshire Mercury News report that:
A DRUGS expert has warned that Hertford is turning into a crack town because of an alarming rise in drug use by youths as young as 14.
Kevin Michael, director of the Chrysalis Drug Project, based in Priory Street, Hertford, has seen a marked increase in young people asking for help to [...]

Somehow we missed this back in October, but the TES blog has set out what the Shadow education secretary, David Cameron has to say on drug eduction:
He did not hold back when it came to launching his attack on Labour’s approach to drugs education in the Daily Mail over the weekend however.
Introducing reformed addicts into [...]

The Guardian carries the story of Ian Fisher, an ex-drug user and dealer who is talking about his experiences to young people:
“‘It’s not all this big fantasy world, not glamorous like you’re led to believe. Anyone who tries to butter it up is lying.’ This is the message ex-drug addict Ian Fisher hopes to get [...]