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problems. In this short article I’ll explain why,
in its current format, drugs education cannot work.
Adults use and abuse drugs every day legally
Alcohol and nicotine are legalised drugs. A whole industry has been
built on them and jobs depend on them. There are special places
designed to sell and consume these drugs. Use of them is socially
acceptable. We consume alcohol in homes and in public and many of us
have experienced the toxic effects of the morning hangover or, in
extreme cases, being violently sick. There is even debate about
alcohol being good for you in some instances. Abuse of alcohol and
nicotine kills. About 30,000 people a year in the United Kingdom die
from smoking related diseases and there are about five million
alcoholics. Every day ten people die from alcohol poisoning and or
alcohol related violence or accidents.
How are children to make sense of this? Adults taking drugs that can
kill them, make them drunk and cause millions of pounds of property
damage a year. We as educators are telling them not to take drugs.
Women now know that smoking when pregnant harms their baby yet
potential mums continue smoking. Until drugs education makes this
explicit and deals with it, it will not succeed. The subtle message
our group behaviour gives young people is that some drugs are
acceptable and fun but others aren’t.
Drug use is a criminal offence
We all know why there are laws - we want to protect people. But they
are not working. Because drug use is a criminal offence, drugs
education to the youngsters is authority (parents) telling them what
to do - preventing them having fun. Some children don't like their
parents. Children have become used to the parent’s tactic of trying to
frighten them by saying something is not good for you. Many people
will flout the law merely because it is the law. Children will ask why
adults are having fun and we are not.
Secondly making people criminals because they take drugs shuts down
meaningful discussion. Young people will not tell what is in their
hearts and will not be open about what is going on in the
neighbourhood. How terrible - making children and others criminals
because they are silly. Unless all drugs are legalised, drugs
education will not work. We must be honest. Taking drugs can be fun -
but beware the terrible dangers - addiction and damage to health.
Drugs education has not been adequately defined
What exactly is drugs education? Is there an agreed, or any,
definition? What are its aims? How do we know if all the resources
spent on drugs education are having the desired effect? Unless those
who promote drugs education can explain straightforwardly what it is,
we can't expect education officials and practical educators to take it
on.
Drugs educators have been doing too much telling
Almost all adults want to help children avoid the pain caused by wrong
choices. Hard experience has taught us principles, which if followed
by children, will lead them away from danger. However, while telling
and conditioning are necessary and acceptable with toddlers, telling
does not work once children are past about ten years of age. Children
(and adults) know that taking certain drugs will harm them but they
still take them; they know that smoking kills them early and injecting
drugs may lead to HIV and all the upheaval that causes. Merely
supplying more and more information (even if it is shocking) about how
dangerous some drugs are and the pain they cause, does not change
attitudes.
Drugs educators have been concentrating on treating the symptoms
instead of dealing with the causes of drug-use
Despite the fact that we are wasting our time with drugs education, we
keep doing it because it makes us feel good - we seem to be doing
something. Unfortunately, we don't know what else to do. However, most
people have already admitted (but many are not prepared to say it)
that we are dealing only with the symptoms. Without the fundamental
work that will change values (the causes) the symptoms will
perennially re-appear. If children demand drugs, people will make and
supply them. Drugs educators will be more effective if they
concentrate on changing values. But how many are willing to do this?
It is very difficult and uncomfortable as the next reason shows.
Drugs educators have not really answered some tough values questions
for themselves.
For example, why are drugs bad? Why are some dangerous drugs illegal
and others not? Why do we criminalise a person for taking drugs? If I
like the effect of a particular drug and take it at home in private so
that I do not harm people at work or in public, what is wrong with
that? Why shouldn't we legalise drugs - we have done so for alcohol
and cigarettes? We could regulate their sale and then tax them heavily
and plough the money into health programmes. Unless drugs educators
make their values explicit, they will have little success in changing
youngsters' values. What exactly do we as drugs educators want from
youngsters?
Values education is at the heart of drugs education
Instead of telling and informing we should, in open respectful
discussion, help youngsters to answer the same questions that we as
drugs educators are struggling with. In a values education approach,
the educator's view counts for no more and no less than the pupils'.
This open, reasoned and non-authoritarian but focused discussion gets
people to change. Values education works on a paradox. Without trying
to convince people to behave responsibly, and allowing them to take
time (maybe even six months) to come to their own realisation of what
is right and wrong, most people come round to a way of behaving that
is generally acceptable. A values education approach results in
children coming to know (without being told) that taking drugs is
damaging in every respect of one’s life.
To some, the values education approach may seem "airy-fairy". But
isn't this just denial: there is an extensive literature and there is
evidence that values education works for several social problems
including misuse of drugs. Some drugs educators may feel uncomfortable
with a values education approach because it is unfamiliar, but what is
our discomfort compared to the pain we can save by getting others to
see this pain before it happens?
Dr Bill would be delighted to talk at your next conference or event
and give more details on how drugs education could be made more
effective with a values education approach. Contact him on
bill.robb@valueseducation.co.uk
Copyright © 2008 Values Education Ltd
Note to editors. Feel free to use this article as long as the
following details are retained. “A values education article from CAVE
www.valueseducation.co.uk
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