Transcript Slide 1

What do we tell the kids?
New Psychoactive Drugs
And Drug Education
Prepared by: Ren Masetti
BA Hons,PGCE, Cert Substance Misuse
Suffolk DAAT Training Co-ordinator and Consultant Trainer
Illegal market
Legal market
Naughty but maybe legal
And effective
Popular Ideas
• Scare them and they’ll stop
J.Cohen 2000
Old Gold!
“After lessons warning of the dangers
there was MORE drug use than among
the controls. Only non-drug focussed
discussion of “personal” problems reduced
drug use relative to doing nothing.”
De Haes and Schuurman, 1975
Popular Ideas
• Bring in the police and an ex-addict-that’ll
do it!
J.Cohen 2000
Ex-user
• “They banged up heroin, I do a bit of Spice
– what have we got in common?”
• “Wow – look at them standing up there!!
Cool!”
• Therapeutic for the speaker – not
necessarily the kids
• Extreme – often unbalanced view
• User seen as “expert” on drug use
Popular Ideas
• We can stop them by educating them
J.Cohen 2000
Aim of Drug Education
• “Provide opportunities…to develop their
knowledge, skills and attitudes and
understanding about drugs and appreciate
the benefits of a healthy lifestyle…”
Drugs: Guidance for schools(DES2004)
What it can’t do
• Stop young people taking drugs!
Drugs: Guidance for schools(DES2004)
Informed
Choice
What can we do?
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Feelings
Information
Risks and dangers
Decision making
Consequences
Punishment
Rewards
Etc. etc. etc.
SAY NO!!!!!!!!
What if they say
yes?!!
Survival techniques
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Remember general health and harm reduction advice
Allergy test
Be aware of variables in admin route
Stick with effective products
But be aware that active ingredient might change
Protect against dependency
Effects may be delayed or surprisingly fast
Never follow dosage on packet
“Bottom of the bag” syndrome
Always use less
Leave as long as you can before re-dosing
Expect a long and forceful effect
Friends are all you have – NEVER use alone
Special thanks to:
• Robin Pivett – Suffolk Constabulary
• John Ramsey – St Georges University
Sources
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ACMD 2009 Annual Report
ACMD 2009 Consideration of the major cannabinoid agonists
Campbell, D, 2009. Online sales of legal alternatives to class A drugs raise safety fears. Guardian.co.uk (internet)
12th March. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/12/online-legal-drugs-stimulants
(Accessed 8th April 2009).
Davies and Ramsey, 2008. Analytical Profiles
EMCDDA, 2009. Report on the risk assessment of BZP
Erowid, 2009. Plants and drugs (online). Available at http://www.erowid.org
(Accessed 8th April 2009 and 12th October 2009)
FRANK (online) (Accessed 12th October 2009)
Herbal Highs, 2009. Available at http://www.hebalhighs.co.uk
(Accessed 8th April 2009)
Methedrone. com (online). Available at www.methedrone.com. (Accessed 8th April 2009)
St.Georges 2009, Drug related deaths in the UK – a briefing
Demos and UK Drug Policy Report 2011
Brandt, S. D.; Sumnall, H. R.; Measham, F.; Cole, J. (2010). "The confusing case of NRG-1". BMJ 341: c3564
Brandt, S. D, et al. Drug Testing and Analysis (2010). The Naphyrone Story: “The Alpha or Beta-naphthyl isomer.”
Nutt, DJ, et al. The Lancet (2010). “ Drug Harms in the UK”: a Multicriteria Decision Analysis”.