CHILDREN OF FIVE TO BE GIVEN LESSONS IN DRUGS

Children as young as five will be taught about the dangers of drugs in a
10-year-plan to overhaul Britain's drug policy.

The Government will today unveil a package of measures aimed at tackling
the drugs epidemic, including emphasis on the greater use of treatment and
counselling for people caught with illegal substances. Tackling the rising
problem of heroin abuse is also to be a priority.

One of the key aspects will be educating children. As reported in The
Independent at Christmas, government advisors want primary pupils to be
taught about drugs in the belief that a better-informed society would find
it easier to say no.

Keith Hellawell, Britain's new anti-drugs co-ordinator who has helped draw
up today's 10-year-plan, said: "Young people are already being informed
about drugs and their dangers in many of our schools . There is no evidence
to support the argument that more knowledge encourages drug misuse. So I
believe that schoolchildren should receive appropriate drugs education from
the age of five."

The drugs White Paper, which will be presented by Ann Taylor, Leader of the
Commons and the government ministerial drugs co-ordinator, will stress the
importance of providing treatment for drug offenders, rather than just
punishment.

The proposals are expected to include greater government spending on
treatment centres and giving some users who steal to fund their habits
"drug treatment orders" instead of jail terms. Police chiefs will be
encouraged to adopt a policy of cautioning people caught for a first time
in possession of cannabis.

Mr Hellawell said: "Treatment works. Research on those referred to drug
treatment after their arrest shows that one in four no longer uses any form
of drugs and more than half reduce their use."

The Government will re-emphasis its opposition to any form of legalisation
of drugs.

Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, yesterday insisted that Britain was not
losing the war against drugs and highlighted evidence that drug taking
among young people was stabilising. But his comments came as a new report
disclosed that hard drugs were damaging more young people at an earlier age
than ever before. The drugs charity Turning Point said the number of people
it helped last year had increased by 12 per cent to about 30,000.