Teaching About Drugs: Research on the Effects of Drug Education Programmes

In our society abuse and misuse of drugs - including alcohol and tobacco -is not confined solely to young people, but it is evidence of illicit drug usage and experimentation among young people that arouses the greatest expressions of public alarm and concern. This anxiety tends to focus on the schools, parents and others demanding that 'something be done' about drugs. In the review following the findings of a recent major study of the effectiveness of some typical school drug education programmes are outlined, the main conclusion being that traditional methods of instruction, used successfully by teachers to impart knowledge in other subject areas, are of little avail when it comes to teaching about drugs.