Readings

Drugs Education works

Research conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit in Exeter has found that young people who receive effective drugs education at school are less likely to take illegal substances. According to a survey of almost 14,000 Year 10 pupils:

• 23 per cent of those who rated their drug awareness lessons as "very useful" or "quite useful" had taken drugs;
• 60 per cent of those who rated their drugs education as "not at all useful" had taken drugs;
• 32 per cent of those surveyed could not remember any lessons about drug education.

Dr David Regis, who led the research, said that the positive impact of drugs awareness sessions in schools was encouraging, although he described the high percentage of those who claimed not to recollect any drugs education as "quite sobering".