Growing Drugs Crisis in Schools
Futurist Topics - Health
High Schools are facing a new drugs epidemic in many nations - 1.5 million pupils in the UK have already taken drugs - 300,000 will try them this year. Statistics in the US are even worse (see free online book below). Over 700,000 starting UK High School this week will find ready access to every illegal drug - from friends. More than 10% will have tried them by the Summer. And drug abuse is often linked to violence and physical abuse by pupils. That's according to a new book, The Truth about Drugs, by Dr Patrick Dixon.
"Every High School has a drugs problem. Every classroom is affected whether teachers realise it or not. Some pupils are suffering after effects of drug-taking almost every day. Drug-dealing leads to violence: pupils are scared to inform teachers, afraid of being beaten up, knifed or killed. The "pusher at the gate" is a myth. Pupils usually get drugs from friends.
"The good news is that most pupils are non-users - however drug-users make them feel minority freaks for abstaining. Non-users need urgent help to create their own, powerful anti-drugs culture at school, so they feel good about saying "no". Too many schools lessons on drugs actually encourage use because they give facts in a moral vaccuum."
Dr Dixon proposes a new Drugs Charter for parents, teachers and pupils, with a range of "drug-free" measures including random hair-testing on a voluntary basis in return for privileges.
- 14% of 15-16 year old boys have taken drugs in the previous week, 11% of girls
- 10% of older US pupils take drugs every day
- 8% of all men in Britain are dependent on alcohol or drugs, 2% of women
- 80% of all large US companies now randomly test workers for drugs
- 8% of all international trade is illegal drugs
The book contains a 10 point plan for government and a 10 point plan for worried parents
Dr Patrick Dixon is a well known author, broadcaster and lecturer on global trends. Other books include Futurewise, The Genetic Revolution, The Truth about AIDS, The Rising Price of Love and the Truth about Westminster.
Interviews / review copies: Eleanor Goody, Hodder 0171 873 6044 or Dr Patrick Dixon 0181 567 9824, 0468 511 390 (mobile)
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It's undoubtedly a very concerning issue for parents but as well as for the whole society as the future relies on the productive youth, and on the other part Stats of teen drug/alcohol abuser are increasing day by day. I wonder what sort of culture is developed in schools, highly appreciating post on " High School and it's Variables",here on parentingteens.com , I thought this is so right when parents think that their innocent child won't be a part of What other parents worried about but really how fast things have changed and how pure innocence can turn to arrogance and adventuresome. I must say that read this blog it's interesting & very informative for parents to grab the idea how things have changed in couple of years in schools. While less efforts are put in to eliminate this problem from schools. So parents must talk efficiently with kids about this problem.
I have a seventeen year old brother and growing he vowed that he would never smoke marijuana or smoke weed like my sister and I had done and when he turned 14 he was binge drinking and when he turned 15 he was already smoking marijuana and when he turned 16 he started doing Ecstasy and Cocaine. Now he is in and out of juvenile hall and has now spent is 17th birthday incarcerated. It sometimes feels that no matter how aware a person is about the effects of drugs and seeing what others have gone through it can still not be enough to prevent them from using drugs.
