Drug Education News

The BBC reports on research for the DCSF about parents concerns and hopes:

There was great concern about children’s safety. Parents felt the lack of a safe environment had greatly curtailed the freedom they could give their children to get out and about, explore and learn to take responsibility for themselves.
Causes included a widening gun, [...]

Drug and Alcohol Findings has this analysis of some American research:
A sophisticated reanalysis of data from the US Adolescent Alcohol Prevention Trial has confirmed that growth in drinking is held back by school lessons based on correcting “normative beliefs” about how common substance use is among peers of similar age.
You can read the abstract of [...]

The BBC report an interview that Keith Richards has given Uncut magazine:
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has advised young people to “lay off the dope” in an interview with monthly magazine Uncut.
The 64-year-old, who famously claimed to have snorted his father’s ashes - but later denied it, revealed what his message would be to anyone [...]

As you’d expect I’ll focus on what the media reaction has been about to the children and young people’s sections of the strategy.
In essence there have been two stories of interest to us, one about the support there will be for grandparents as kinship carers and secondly the confirmation that the government is interested in [...]

Channel 4 have been looking at how many people take illegal drugs.  This is what they say about young people’s use:
Patterns are particularly pronounced among young people, who are more likely to use drugs than their older counterparts and on whom the government has focused particular attention.
In 1996, 29.7 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds [...]

Responding to the publication of the government’s drug strategy, Eric Carlin, Chair of the Drug Education Forum, said:
It’s good to see the commitment to improving the effectiveness of drug education and prevention for children and young people in the strategy. We know that most young people value this approach above others, with 94% saying it [...]

As well as the new strategy the Home Office have also published the implementation plan for achieving their actions.
My eye couldn’t help being dragged to the following:
Complete the review of substance misuse education, committed to in the Children’s Plan, to strengthen the role of schools with an emphasis on primary education, early identification, and provision [...]

The strategy can be download here. I’m going to focus on what the strategy says about children and young people’s services
Preventing harm to children, young people and families affected by drug misuse
The strategy says the government’s key actions for the period of the strategy will be to:

Ensure prompt access to treatment for all drug-misusing [...]

Here’s how some of the media have covered the bits of the strategy that focus on children and young people ahead of its launch today:
The Daily Mail
Between 250,000 and 350,000 youngsters are living in homes where their parents abuse drugs.
Ministers will promise “support” to grandparents who are willing to take over children’s care.
There will [...]

The BBC report:
Children as young as 12 should receive nicotine patches if they have a serious smoking problem, the official NHS advisory body in England says.The recommendation comes in a set of guidelines by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
These are intended to advise health authorities on helping people give up smoking.
Children have [...]