PARENTS 'NEED CLASSES ON DRUG CULTURE'

A leading Scottish drug researcher is calling on the Government and
councils to fund evening classes for parents so they can understand their
children's drug culture better.

Dr Martin Plant, the director of the Alcohol and Health Research Centre in
Edinburgh, said the classes were needed to bridge the generation gap to
show why children take drugs. He is working on research which will be
submitted to scientific journals this year.

Dr Plant's call comes in the wake of record customs seizures which show
that the country is being flooded with cheap heroin.

"We just don't have any recognisable way of countering this [increased drug
use] at the moment - shock horror anti-drug adverts just don't work.

"By far the biggest influence on young people taking drugs is peer group
and family pressures, coupled with the availability and social fashion of
drugs. The pop industry is, for instance, fairly pro-drugs. The best way to
counter this is to educate parents better about the drug scene and to
bridge the generation gap in their understanding.

"Evening and weekend classes would be an ideal way, though what form they
should take is still being investigated.

"I would also be in favour of educating youngsters about drugs in primary
schools because all the evidence shows that the low age for drug use has
been coming down."

Dr Plant has just done a pilot study for the Western Isles Health Board on
encouraging greater involvement of parents and community groups. His
current research has sprung from that study.