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Row over guide that says stoned sex may be great
Saturday 14 Oct 2000 A NEW drugs guide telling teenagers that "stoned sex may be great", and advising them that most people trying cocaine do not become hooked, has angered anti-drugs campaigners. D-mag, which is aimed at 14- to 18-year-olds and is to be distributed in schools and youth clubs, is being produced by the charity Drugscope with funding from the British music industry. It says its aim is to spell out the facts, but it questions the use of the term "drug abuse", suggesting that the phrase could apply to drinking "10 cups of coffee" as much as to taking cannabis or heroin. Harry Shapiro, the guide's editor, said that the frank approach would "engage" young people and deter them from using drugs. The guide has been branded as irresponsible by Robert Whelan, the director of the pressure group Family and Youth Concern, who said that it could encourage experimentation. He said: "Making drugs sound glamorous and a normal part of life does not work. Nor is it helpful to talk about 'stoned sex being great'. The only way to deal with drugs is to say, 'Don't do it.' " D-mag begins with an assessment of drug dangers. It states: "Drug use can never be 100 per cent safe. But it is not always as dangerous as some people make out." The section continues with warnings about potential hazards, but ends by suggesting that the main problem with sex under the influence of drugs is the danger of forgetting to take precautions. Another section advises on rights for arrested teenagers, while a "holiday guide" lists destinations including Amsterdam and Goa. The impact of different drugs is described. Many negative effects are listed, but on cocaine, the guide states: "You may have read how easy it is to get hooked on cocaine, especially in its crack form. However, not everybody who tries coke or crack enjoys the experience and, even if they do, most will not get hooked." It says that there is no agreed definition of drug abuse, adding: "Some people see abuse or misuse as using any illegal drug, but what do they really mean? Ten cups of coffee a day, five pints of lager at lunchtime, a puff on a cannabis joint, injecting heroin?" About 15,000 copies of the magazine, costing £25,000 to produce, are being printed using a grant from the Brit Trust, the music-industry charity dedicated to young people, music and education. Most of the trust's money is raised at the annual Brit Awards event, which has earned the charity £2 million over the past five years. Mr Shapiro insisted that a condemnatory tone would be counter-productive. "A 'just say no' message will not wash with young people." Andrew Yeates, the chairman of the Brit Trust, said that D-mag would "inform young people about the hazards of drugs and equip them with the skills to handle situations involving drugs". Children are finding it easier to obtain heroin than alcohol, according to anti-drugs campaigners. A bag of heroin, enough for two young people to use in a night, now costs just £5 a time. A spokesman for Young People's Treatment Services in Birmingham, said: "The most alarming thing that's happening is that the age is coming down and we're dealing with people still at school rather than post-school. Heroin is a cheap way to get off their faces and easier to get hold of than drink." The street price of heroin has decreased from £90 a gram in 1993 to £70, according to the latest figures released by the National Criminal Intelligence Service. If heroin had kept pace with inflation, it would now cost £130 a gram. Its street price has almost halved in price in seven years.
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