HARM REDUCTION AIM IN SCHOOLIES BOOKLET

SAFE partying tips, an outline of penalties for using fake identification
and a standard drinks guide will be included in a "schoolies" booklet to be
distributed to grade 12 students later this year.

The booklet, funded and distributed by Queensland Health, has been produced
by Sunshine Coast youth service Community Solutions organisers of the annual
Schoolies Week celebrations on the north coast.

Project consultant Jenny Madden said the booklet, the first of its kind to
go statewide, adopted a "harm minimisation approach" to information on drugs
and alcohol.

"The idea is if you're under 18 you shouldn't be drinking alcohol, but there
is also a recognition that students may choose to use alcohol regardless of
their age, so if they do we want to provide them with information to ensure
they do it safely," she said.

The project follows a Queensland Health publication distributed to Gold
Coast grade 12 students since 1996.