NPS Education and PreventionA tricky balance

Photo by Flickr user stephenjohnbryde

A visible presence

What do we know about young people’s use of NPS• Crime Survey for England and

Wales found young adults, aged 16 to 24:– 6.1% had taken nitrous oxide in the

last year– 1.1% had taken salvia in the last

year

• Global Drug Survey – 20.4% had taken nitrous oxide in

the last year– 10.9% had taken ‘mystery white

powder’ in the last year– c.13% said they had taken a legal

high/research chemical/synthetic cannabis & electronic THC

Photo by Flickr user Yaniv Golan

Young People in Treatment for ‘Club Drugs’

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-130

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Ketamine Ecstasy MephedroneSource: Young People’s Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS), Public Health England (2013)

DrugScope’s Street Drug Survey 2013

• Mephedrone-type stimulant drugs were popular with older teenagers;

• Younger teenagers were more attracted by the synthetic cannabinoids

substances with lurid names such as Clockwork Orange and Exodus Damnation;

• Few young people bought drugs online, but were able to buy not only from head

shops, but a range of high street outlets including petrol stations and take-away

food shops, especially in the north of England;

• While few young people were coming forward to treatment services, outreach

workers told a different story about patterns of use and of young people at risk

of serious health consequences.

The Official Response

Photo by Flickr user Peter Lee

What does the government say to young people about NPS?

“Just the fact that a substance is sold as “legal” , doesn’t

mean that it’s safe - you can’t really be sure what’s in a

‘legal high’ that you’ve bought, or been given, or what

effect it’s likely to have on you…

“In fact, for many ‘legal highs’, there has been little or no

useful research into the short or long-term effects in

people.”

What does the government say to schools about NPS?

“New psychoactive substances should be included in

the school drug policy as unauthorised substances and

treated as such. If there is uncertainty about what the

substance is, it should be treated as a controlled drug.”

DfE and ACPO drug advice for schools (2012)

“Teachers should be mindful not to deliver individual sessions on

NPS, or specific legal or illegal substances. Instead, the focus

should be on the essential developmental skills, proven to be

effective in building young people’s resilience in relation to risky

behaviours and substance misuse.”

‘Legal Highs’ and Novel Psychoactive Substances (2014)

What does ADEPIS say to teachers about NPS?

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Photo by Flickr user Ian Page-Echols

A life course approach

Source: Davies, S.C. “Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer, Volume One, 2011, On the State of the Public’s Health” London: Department of Health (2012)

And for NPS specifically?

• Increase our understanding of prevalence – use, harms and at risk groups

• Ensure NPS covered in wider personal social and health education

• Think beyond schools and universities– Environment, Community, Family, Workplace

• Develop and learn from evidence• Understand routes into specialist services

And things we might want to avoid

• Messages that focus on the most extreme outcomes– May work for least likely to use, but it boomerangs

for contemplators and dabblers• Harsh and inconsistent punishment• Knowledge on its own– Skills and character essential

Thank you

Andrew BrownDirector of Policy, Influence and EngagementDrugScope

@andrewbrown365andrewb@drugscope.org.ukwww.drugscope.org.uk