Drugs Education for Whom?

The increase in illegal drug usage, particularly among young people, in the United Kingdom since the early 1980s is discussed in the context of a government White Paper (i.e. a government document often outlining possible subsequent legislation, prepared for public consumption). This publication, Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain (1998, London, The Stationery Office), argued that education had an important role to play in drug prevention. The paper points out that there is little in the literature on drug usage that relates to the work of educators in drugs education and that the subject is not a compulsory part of initial teacher education programmes in the UK. This paper, therefore, considers it important to discuss drugs education in the context of teacher education as well as in the work of teachers and other professional groups responsible for drugs education. The paper has, perforce, an English focus in view of regional differences within and beyond the UK.