STUDENTS WON'T RESPOND TO DRUGS IN SCHOOL BAN: EXPERT

A BID to achieve "no illicit drugs in school" was an unrealistic
goal of the Federal Government that could alienate many young people
and drug users, a national conference has heard.

A leading drugs researcher described the goal as "a slogan
masquerading as an outcome", which detracted from the need to arm
students with skills to make responsible decisions about drugs.
"Tough slogans are easy but delivering the results is not," said
Associate Professor Richard Midford, a keynote speaker at the fifth
International Conference on Drugs and Young People, held in Sydney last week.

Associate Professor Midford, of the National Drug Research
Institute, argued Australia needed a more effective national drug
education strategy, using programs shown to reduce harm rather than
those driven by moral or political agendas. "To do less is to
fail the young people of Australia."

The Government's National School Drug Education Strategy, which was
released in 1999 with the goal of "no illicit drugs in school", sets
out principles for initiatives and funding in the area.

States and territories have primary responsibility for drug
education in schools and the Government has provided $47.5 million
from 1999-2000 to 2007-08 through its strategy for school drug education.

The Government said schools were critical places for drug education
and that the strategy "enables abstinence from illicit drugs to be
promoted to our young people as a healthy lifestyle choice".

Associate Professor Midford said while the "tough on drugs" approach
was politically appealing, the push for abstinence and the
employment of scare tactics about the dangers of drugs would not be
appropriate for all young people.

"Parents would like their kids to abstain but the reality is a lot
won't, and if all we're doing is giving an abstinence message, what
are we really offering those young people who are choosing not to
abstain?" Associate Professor Midford said. In 2002, national
surveys of more than 20,000 secondary students showed that 25 per
cent of all students aged 12 to 17 had used cannabis, and by the age
of 17 about 70 per cent had consumed alcohol in the month before
being surveyed.