Drug Education News

Young People Now take a look at the new guidance for the youth service on drugs issues:
Drugs advice can be a minefield for youth workers who want to protect young people but not break the law. John Plummer asks the specialists what information staff should and should not provide to young people.
Knowing what to do [...]

Alcohol Policy UK has a round up of various press stories on police actions to try and reduce under age drinking.
The stories include ones from Surrey, Devon, and Bolton.

The Birmingham Post have picked up on Jim Knight’s comments:
Criminal gangs are infiltrating Birmingham schools and children as young as nine are being used as drugs mules, it has been claimed.
Gangs were active in ten Birmingham schools with others in Manchester and London, Education Minister Jim Knight told a Commons inquiry.
And one head warned children [...]

The BBC report evidence given to the Education and Skills Select Committee by Schools Minister Jim Knight MP.  Mr Knight raises concerns about criminal gangs infiltrating schools in a number of large cities.  In relation to drugs the report goes on to say:
Mr Knight said he was not aware of pupils being forced to take or sell drugs.
The Department for Education and Skills says an estimated 100 to 200 organised criminal gangs [...]

From Media Newswire:
Levels of drug use are lower among young Londoners than among young people nationally. In 2005/06 20.3 percent of London BCS respondents aged 16-24 reported that they had used an illicit drug in the last year, compared to 25.2 of people in this age group across England and Wales. In 2005/06 11.2 of London [...]

I’ve had a letter from the Accademy asking me to publicise the work they are doing on Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs and to let you know that they are interested in getting written submissions focusing on:
illegal and legal ‘recreational’ drugs; medicines for mental health; and a category of substances termed ‘cognition enhancers’ that might [...]

Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, asks a Parliamentary Question about DARE UK (a Drug Education Forum member):
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many primary schools teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education programme; what guidance is given to schools on the age of pupils to whom this programme is taught; and what the requirement is for parental consent before the programme is used.
Jim [...]

The Times catches up with the new police guidance on cannabis.  They note:
Under the guidance sent out to all forces in the past few days, children under the age of 18 caught smoking cannabis will no longer be automatically arrested.
The guidelines say that officers should find “less intrusive” ways of dealing with under-18s, such as escorting them home.
Martin Barnes, of DrugScope, the advice group, said: “We welcome [...]

The Daily Telegraph describe ”well being” classes in a public school.  From the report much of what they descibe looks like PSHE:
the programme gives pupils practical skills in areas as diverse as meditation, channelling “negative” emotions and drug and alcohol safety. There is even a session on “dumping” a boyfriend or girlfriend. It has been championed by the master of the school, Anthony Seldon, one of the independent sector’s most high [...]

The Daily Mail assess the new police guidance on cannabis:
Police have been told they should no longer automatically arrest children caught smoking cannabis, it has been revealed.
The new guidelines - another dramatic softening in Labour’s attitude to the drug - provoked anger from experts.
They demolish a promise, made when cannabis was downgraded in January 2004, [...]