links for 2009-11-23

• BBC News – Cartoons explain danger of drugs
  Cartoon characters are being used to highlight the dangers of misusing drugs to teenagers in Bristol and Somerset.

  Two short animations tell the story of four friends who start using drugs then find their lives on different paths.

  The films, developed by Avon and Somerset Police, were shown at the Association of Chief Police Officers drugs conference.

  "We want to show that drugs are not glamorous or cool," said Ian Ball from the Force's development team.

  (tags: drugeducation police)

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links for 2009-11-15

• Just say no way man: our guide to drugs on film | Film | guardian.co.uk
  It's easy to get influenced by film. One minute you're innocently watching the new Michael Haneke, the next minute you've invaded Poland. With that in mind, here's our 10-part manual on navigating the foggy corridors of drugs on film
  (tags: film illegaldrugs)
• Guidance on drug misuse in school out for consultation – Children & Young People Now
  The government is consulting on draft guidance for schools on how to tackle drug and alcohol misuse on school premises.
  (tags: drugeducation schools)
• BBC NEWS | England | West Midlands | Action after pupils drink ethanol
  Safety procedures are to be reviewed at a school in the West Midlands where six teenage pupils drank ethanol taken from a science lesson.

  Five girls and a boy were taken to hospital after drinking the pure alcohol at Aldridge School, Walsall.

  The council said it believed the children had watched an episode of the BBC drama Waterloo Road, in which a similar event took place.

  (tags: alcohol tv)

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links for 2009-11-14

• Drugs dog brings the word : Express & Star
  A drugs dog has been taken into three Wednesbury schools as part of a week-long crime crackdown in the town.

  Spaniel Woody is one of four specially trained drugs dogs used by officers in the Black Country, which also has dogs trained to detect cash and firearms.

  (tags: drugdogs)
• Teens copy TV ethanol binge | The Sun |News
  SIX teens were recovering today after drinking ethanol as they re-enacted a storyline from BBC1 hit show Waterloo Road.

  The school pupils luckily escaped any lasting damage after downing the pure alcohol yesterday.

  The five girls and a boy, aged 14 and 15, were taken to hospital from a school in Aldridge, in the West Midlands, after apparently mimicking a plot in this week's episode of the school drama.

  (tags: alcohol television)
• Teenagers Are Rushed To Hospital After Re-enacting TV Drama Storyline By Drinking Ethanol | UK News | Sky News
  Six teenagers have been rushed to hospital after re-enacting a storyline from a TV drama by drinking ethanol.
  (tags: alcohol TV)

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links for 2009-11-10

• BBC NEWS | Wales | North West Wales | Pupils get insight on drug world
  School pupils are being given a stark insight into the world of addiction and criminality in a project involving former drug dealers and users.

  The pilot scheme is targeting pupils aged 13 and 14 at Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni on Anglesey.

  (tags: wales)

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links for 2009-11-09

• Drinking by Scots parents revealed by young – Herald Scotland | News | Health
  More than 2000 youngsters in Scotland have contacted ChildLine in the past decade to talk about their parents’ harmful drinking.

  At least 230 contacted the help line in 2008/09 – with 87 talking about physical abuse in relation to their parents’ drinking.

  By contrast, about 0.1% of children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland called the discuss the issue.

  (tags: scotland alcohol parentaldruguse)
• Drugs and the BNP: introducing Information is Beautiful | News | guardian.co.uk
  A couple of interesting visualisations of the statistics around deaths caused by individual drugs and the amount of press coverage they received.
  (tags: drugs data visualization)
• Teenagers are using cannabis less but drinking more – Children & Young People Now
  Teenagers across Europe are using cannabis less but are more likely to binge drink, according to latest data from drug addiction monitoring experts.
  (tags: Europe cannabis alcohol)

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links for 2009-11-07

• The Press Association: 'Soft schools increase crime risk'
  Lax standards of school discipline make pupils more likely to turn to crime and drugs, Government research has revealed.

  The Home Office study found pupils at schools which were soft on violence and truanting more likely to break the law.

  As a result, the authors urged ministers to consider toughening up discipline policies.

  Worryingly, the survey of young people's behaviour found nearly three quarters were caught up in either crime, drug taking or anti-social behaviour over four years. Over a single year, the figure was 44%.

  (tags: behaviour)
• Sex and drug lessons from age 5 – Telegraph
  "Sex and drug lessons will be compulsory under plans announced by the Schools Secretary. "

  Despite the title there's nothing in the body of the story about drug education.

  (tags: pshe)

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links for 2009-11-06

• Religious groups challenge new rules on pre-consent lessons – Times Online
  Religious groups reacted with anger to the move by the Schools Secretary, which will make it compulsory for all pupils aged 15 will learn about relationships, sex and drugs over the course of a year. The age of consent in the UK is 16. The Muslim Council of Britain vowed to mount a challenge to the new laws that it says contravene the right for children to be taught according to their parents’ tradition.
  (tags: pshe)
• Cannabis use among teenagers continues to fall | Society | guardian.co.uk
  Cannabis use among teenagers has continued to decline in the UK owing to a change in attitudes in the current generation of school students, according to the annual survey from the European drug agency.

  But Britain has retained its position in top spot for cocaine consumption with 5% of young adults aged 15 to 24 reporting that they have used the drug in the past year.

  (tags: europe cannabis cocaine)

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links for 2009-11-05

• One-third in youth jails for non-violent crimes – Youth Justice – Children & Young People Now
  Non-violent offences can include breaches of community orders, drug offences or car crime.
  (tags: criminaljustice)

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links for 2009-11-03

• Letters: Why Professor David Nutt was shown the door | Politics | The Guardian
  "As for his comments about horse riding being more dangerous than ecstasy, which you quote with such reverence, it is of course a political rather than a scientific point. There are not many kids in my constituency in danger of falling off a horse – there are thousands at risk of being sucked into a world of hopeless despair through drug addiction."

  Alan Johnson MP in a letter to the Guardian explaining his decision to sack the Chair of the ACMD

  (tags: ACMD)

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links for 2009-10-29

• Survivor's tale of a life hooked on crystal meth – London Informer
  "There's a new market out there waiting to be explored and exploited. I never could have believed what happened to me, so we need to warn young people before it gets out of control."

  Miss Myers first tried the drug aged 23, after moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry. She was living next door to a crystal meth addict – known as a tweaker.

  (tags: crystalmeth)
• BBC NEWS | England | Hampshire | Youngsters' alcohol abuse warning
  Youngsters aged between 11 and 16 in Southampton are being invited to an event aimed at educating them about the dangers of drinking too much alcohol.

  Scheduled to coincide with schools' half-term break, the Southampton Kids Alcohol Awareness day will be held at Oceana in Leisure World on Thursday.

  (tags: alcohol)

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