THE DRUG TESTS DON'T WORK

Eton's approach to drugs exemplifies how schools and teachers get it wrong,
and fail to give young people the informed advice they want.

Drugs have again hit the headlines with a vengeance. But Prince Harry's
case simply brings into the public domain the reality that more and more
young people are trying drugs.

According to the most recent and comprehensive survey of drug use in
Britain, 44% of males in Harry's age group (16-19) have tried an illegal
drug, rising to 63% for men aged 20-24. So Harry's experiment with cannabis
should come as no surprise. And young people seem to have hardly batted an
eyelid, in sharp contract to the reaction from certain parts of the media.

This disconnection between the reality observed by today's young people -
where trying drugs at least once is the norm - and that believed in by many
parents and much of the media causes many problems. While Prince Charles'
handling of the issue has been widely praised, to many young people the
treatment of the issue ignored obvious realities.

Firstly, despite what many commentators and politicians suggest, young
people know that cannabis does not inevitably lead them to crack and heroin
dependency and winding up in a clinic. They have many friends who have
regularly smoked cannabis and have never progressed onto other more harmful
drugs.

Secondly young people realise that the greater concern should really be
with binge drinking rather than with occasional cannabis use. Yet many of
their advisers - who are more likely to drink than smoke cannabis -
casually disregard the scientific evidence that alcohol, particularly binge
drinking, is much more harmful than cannabis use.

Knowledge of drug issues and the reality of drug taking is often much
higher among young people. That is why scare-mongering and a 'just say no
approach' does not work and is more likely to do harm than good. Of course,
drug use is worrying for many parents. But the evidence is that young
people actively want their parents to talk to them about drugs.

If parents want to have the biggest impact on young people's choices,
parents should first equip themselves with the facts, not the media myths
and popular hyperbole, but the facts about the real risks involved. They
should then take the time to listen to their children and answer their
questions as honestly and openly as they can. Only if parents do this will
children listen to their parents and base their choices on the risks
involved. A 'just say no approach' which fails to connect with young
peoples' reality, will simply make the child seek information sources
elsewhere and perhaps become more likely to experiment with drugs as a result.

Children also want information from their teachers. The approach signalled
by Eton of testing their pupils for drug use and expelling any pupil
testing positive is seriously misguided. Quite apart from the civil
liberties angle, there is no evidence that drug testing is an effective
intervention in stopping drug use. It certainly does not distinguish
between someone who tries cannabis once and someone with a real drug problem.

Drug testing, which is often inaccurate, demonstrates a lack of trust that
will undermine any drug education program at the school. Expelling pupils
is likely to worsen any drug problem they may have and can also lead the
child into a downward spiral of social exclusion. Where a drug misuse
problem is found there should be help and support for the individuals
involved, and not simply expulsion that can exacerbate any problem that
does exist. The evidence shows that exclusion further increases the chance
that young people will use drugs. 63% of excluded children have been
offered cannabis compared with 25% of children in school; 29% of excluded
children have tried a class A drug compared with only 5% of children in
school and 61% of excluded pupils have taken a class B drug, compared with
only 15% of children in school.

Young people need their parents and teachers to be equipped with the facts
and able to respond to their questions and concerns. If they are, then
parents and teachers will be more confident and better equipped to talk to
young people about drugs. And young people will be more likely to listen.

DrugScope is the UK's leading drug charity. For more information go to
www.drugscope.org.uk.

DrugScope publish a government endorsed good practice guide for schools
that advises how schools can best respond to drug issues. DrugScope also
provides information for schools on drugs in the curriculum. This
information is available to schools by calling DrugScope on 020 79 28 1771.

Parents who want more information should go to DrugScope's website at
www.drugscope.org.uk, or phone the National Drugs Helpline on 0800 77 66 00.