SHOW-AND-TELL DRUGS ALARM

PRIMARY schools have been forced to step up drug education after children
as young as six brought bags of marijuana for show-and-tell.

The Australian Drug Foundation is testing new ways to stop young children
experimenting with marijuana after hearing of marijuana being brought to
school.

In a bid to curb growing drug use among children, the foundation is testing
a new classroom education campaign at 15 Melbourne schools.

The anti-drug message starts in grade one by tackling medicines, tobacco
and alcohol.

Teachers later introduce the dangers of illegal drugs, including marijuana
and amphetamines.

Foundation drugs expert Geoff Munro expects the new anti-drug campaign to
reach most schools in May. He aims to give children a commonsense approach
to legal and illegal drugs, making sure young people are well informed.

"Parents and teachers must realise that by the end of primary school, most
children are very aware of all kinds of drugs," he said.

"There is evidence that young people are gaining access to drugs much
earlier than in the past.

"We are now seeing children grow up in households where parents use drugs
on a regular basis."

Mr Munro, who spearheaded drug education reforms in secondary schools, runs
the foundation's youth drug studies centre.

He has also played a leading role in the Victorian State Government's Turn
the Tide anti-drugs campaign.

But Mr Munro said the focus was on secondary schools, when drug education
needed to start at a primary level.

He said the latest research showed growing numbers of young children, some
as young as six, experimenting with drugs.

"Often, kids have access to drugs and they don't realise it's an illegal
substance," Mr Munro said. "There are several cases of children turning up
with cannabis at show-and-tell.

"This scenario can cause a lot of anxiety in a school ... it shows that
very young children are getting access to cannabis and living in homes
where it is being used.

"We're not talking about huge numbers of children but there are children
who have tried cannabis before they reach high school."

Mr Munro said teachers would judge the appropriate time to introduce drug
education.

"Not every child will try drugs but it is natural that they will
experiment," he said.

Foundation officials will today launch a school education kit about boys
and girls having different ideas about alcohol.