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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: School drug policy "counter-productive"
feMail.co.uk
Monday 03 Feb 2003 Schools' zero tolerance policies on drugs may be counter-productive because they simply lead children to conceal their drug problems, Home Office research says. Experts who studied the substance abuse habits of 300 hardcore young offenders concluded that low or zero tolerance policies "may not be helpful". The report said: "It encourages children to conceal rather than deal with their drug use and can lead to the exclusion of those caught. They are not necessarily those who use drugs most and not the only users in school." The Home Office conclusions contrast sharply with guidance from the Department for Education and Skills which has beefed up headteachers' powers to expel drug dealing pupils. A fifth of the group studied for the Home Office report had dealt drugs, shoplifted, sold stolen goods or gone joyriding at least 20 times in the previous year. More than 85% had used cannabis, alcohol and tobacco but heroin and crack cocaine use were still comparatively low. It was found that 18% had taken crack and 11% heroin, but use of these two drugs was "infrequent". In fact, researchers concluded the group, all but one of whom was under 18, were not being drawn into use of the very hardest drugs, even though they were regularly using ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD and cannabis. "The shift towards the use of heroin and/or cocaine and/or drug injection observed in the 1980s amongst delinquents was not evident," the report said.
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