Drug Education News

Simon Jenkins writing in the The Guardian about cannabis classification says:
Even if the fall in consumption is not due to the 2004 reclassification, there is no evidence that reclassification increased harm. The fall was probably due to more education about the dangers of abuse, as occurs with bad news stories about ecstasy and LSD. Consumption [...]

The ASA’s annual report on complaints against advertising gets some coverage, and includes comment on the government’s “fish hook” anti-smoking campaign which we covered here.
The Daily Star:
a promo for the Government anti-smoking campaign drew the most complaints.
The Department of Health campaign, which showed people with fish-hooks in their mouths, received 774 complaints.
Metro:

A record 14,080 [...]

The BBC follow up on Mrs Rogers meeting with Vernon Coaker MP, the Home Office Minister, about a film showing the last year of her son’s life:
She said the government did not object to furthering the scheme locally.
“I have to accept that the government cannot order this into schools,” she said.
“They can only help us [...]

The Guardian carries details of the early intervention scheme that Nottingham is developing:
There will be nurse-family partnerships for children aged nought to two with vulnerable first-time mothers; Sure Start and children’s centres for the two- to four-years-olds; primary Seal (social and emotional aspects of learning) for five- to 11-year-olds; alcohol and drug education for all [...]

The Guardian has a story about proposals that suggest that schools may get new targets around a range of health and risk taking behaviours amongst their pupils, including substance misuse.
The proposals were in the context of discussions that are taking place around guidance being developed on pupil wellbeing:
The ideas, set out in a discussion document [...]

The Mirror:
Cannabis is so cheap that children can buy it with pocket money, experts warned yesterday.
As Gordon Brown prepares a crackdown, a study undermined claims the drug was strongly linked to street crime.
It said violent teenagers were far more likely to be boozed-up.
The Institute for Criminal Policy Research interviewed 61 youngsters from an inner city [...]

Writing in the Birmingham Post Chris Game, a lecturer at the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham, decries the intention to reclassify cannabis.  He argues:
In short, recreational use of cannabis and to a lesser extent ecstasy and amphetamines is today part of the range of behaviours – sex, drinking alcohol, smoking, [...]

Children and Young People Now:
Nottingham has become the UK’s first ‘Early Intervention City’, with the launch of a raft of programmes designed to improve the life chances of its poorest children and stop them drifting into crime.
These include a family nurse project to help teenage mums, a mentoring scheme for young people, greater support for [...]

More coverage of the decision facing the government on the classification of cannabis:

Channel 4 - Brown set to ignore drug advice
Daily Star - Brown ‘To Toughen Cannabis Laws’
Independent - Brown to push for cannabis reclassification
Daily Mail - Cannabis U-turn: Four years on, Brown concedes it was a mistake to go soft on drug
Guardian - [...]

The Department for Children, Schools and Families have put up one of Mr Brennan’s speeches.  This one is to members of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association and in part says:
In the coming weeks we will be publishing the Youth Action Plan, which will outline our proposals on what more we need to do, and [...]