Kate Hawkesby: In defence of drug education for teens in schools

A document providing information on safe meth use has caused outrage among parents of Massey High School students who claim it's giving advice on how to take drugs.

Alongside warnings and education around the dangers of drug use, the document also contains advice for those who may already be using on how to do it safely.

That's perhaps where the document falls over and has raised the ire of parents - there is a fine line between educating and giving advice on how to use - but that's only two pages out of a larger 25-page resource kit.

And it's important to remember that this information is for students taking the health course, as part of their learnings around methamphetamine use in New Zealand and the negative effects of it on users. It's not for all students.

In context, on the whole, it's about educating around the dangers of drugs.
The Drug Foundation applauds this approach, and frankly, so do I.

I believe educating young people is a better alternative to preaching abstinence.

The slogan birthed in the 1980s of "just say no" is all well and good for a catchy little phrase, but it's not working.

We undeniably have a meth problem in New Zealand. Pretending it doesn't exist won't make it go away, nor will telling kids to just say no. That's too simplistic a message.

Year 13 students are 17 and 18 years old. In America, 15- and 16-year-olds have drug safety as part of their curriculum.

As part of a new more modern approach, some US schools believe telling teenagers the truth about illegal substances is a more effective approach.

In direct contrast to their President, who champions the execution of some drug dealers and believes money should be spent on adverts to scare kids off them, these schools believe students deserve to know science behind the arguments.

They believe equipping them with tools to minimise harm.

Here it's P, there it's the opioid epidemic. Drugs are undeniably an issue everywhere.

Presenting facts to teenagers also gives educators the option of targeting their unique behaviours. It acknowledges the reckless and impulsive tendencies of adolescents, and encourages them to take responsibility for those actions.

Education may also help teenagers who are ever in a situation surrounded by drug use to effectively deal with it, to recognise symptoms, to potentially save a life.

Teenagers, by their very nature, will not just abstain from things because we tell them to.

They need to be educated enough themselves, to have a reason.