Drug education

Drug education is an important part of prevention. Education should not stand alone, and should not be expected to deliver miracles. But without it, drug prevention will fail. Information and knowledge is fundamental in our upbringing and in preparing the ground for all other interventions either in prevention, drug control and law enforcement.

Numerous studies show that young people frequently cite the risk associated with drugs as one of the most important reasons for not taking drugs, if not the most important.

Timing

Education should start at an early stage but three stages seem relatively important. Immediately prior to initial experimentation, time of initial exposure and when the prevalence of use increases.

Some principles

• Education should be targeted, that means that education should be based on the needs of young people and be relevant.
• Education should have a strong social dimension as it has a demonstrated effect on behaviour. There are 3 key elements: basic information about drugs, drug use and effect of drugs, resistance skills training and normative information.
• Normative training is of great significance: Young people tend to overestimate peer usage rates and there is an association between perceived peer usage and individual drug usage.
• Interactivity is important in pedagogics and seems to produce better results.
• Peer education has produced realatively good results. This is not to say that peers can replace teachers and other expert educators, but that peers may play an important role in the mix of educational activities.
• Teacher training skills is important since it enables the teacher that knows the class well and may be in positions to deliver drug education pithed at appropriate times and to integrate it at relevant sections of the curriculum. Teachers need to be trained regularly.
• Behaviour should be in focus rather than awareness, attitudes and knowledge alone. Behaviour can be changed through school-based programmes to a certain degree especially if boosted over the years and if integrated in a wider strategies, interventions and programmes such as community based prevention.

Harm reduction

Harm reduction has no role in education. There are three fundamental problems with the implementation of a HR approach to the young. First, young people are incapable of making informed and sound decisions on drug use; second, there are special risks and harms at such an early age; and finally, adolescent is an unique opportunity to target youth with preventionist programs and policies.