Pubdate: Mon, 29 May 2006
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2006 The Age Company Ltd
Contact:  http://www.theage.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5
Author: Chee Chee Leung
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

STUDENTS WON'T RESPOND TO DRUGS IN SCHOOL BAN: EXPERT

A BID to achieve "no illicit drugs in school" was an  unrealistic 
goal of the Federal Government that could  alienate many young people 
and drug users, a national  conference has heard.

A leading drugs researcher described the goal as "a  slogan 
masquerading as an outcome", which detracted  from the need to arm 
students with skills to make  responsible decisions about drugs. 
"Tough slogans are  easy but delivering the results is not," said 
Associate  Professor Richard Midford, a keynote speaker at the  fifth 
International Conference on Drugs and Young  People, held in Sydney last week.

Associate Professor Midford, of the National Drug  Research 
Institute, argued Australia needed a more  effective national drug 
education strategy, using  programs shown to reduce harm rather than 
those driven  by moral or political agendas. "To do less is to 
fail  the young people of Australia."

The Government's National School Drug Education  Strategy, which was 
released in 1999 with the goal of  "no illicit drugs in school", sets 
out principles for  initiatives and funding in the area.

States and territories have primary responsibility for  drug 
education in schools and the Government has  provided $47.5 million 
from 1999-2000 to 2007-08  through its strategy for school drug education.

The Government said schools were critical places for  drug education 
and that the strategy "enables  abstinence from illicit drugs to be 
promoted to our  young people as a healthy lifestyle choice".

Associate Professor Midford said while the "tough on  drugs" approach 
was politically appealing, the push for  abstinence and the 
employment of scare tactics about  the dangers of drugs would not be 
appropriate for all  young people.

"Parents would like their kids to abstain but the  reality is a lot 
won't, and if all we're doing is  giving an abstinence message, what 
are we really  offering those young people who are choosing not to 
abstain?" Associate Professor Midford said. In 2002,  national 
surveys of more than 20,000 secondary students  showed that 25 per 
cent of all students aged 12 to 17  had used cannabis, and by the age 
of 17 about 70 per  cent had consumed alcohol in the month before 
being  surveyed.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman