Drug education: Approaches, effectiveness and delivery

Considerable drug education activity has taken place over recent years. Yet the use of illicit drugs appears to be increasingly accepted by young users and non-users alike as an integral part of youth culture. There is a need to avoid dogmatic approaches to drug education by not placing undue reliance on any single approach. Moreover, several theoretical and empirical factors need to be considered in developing and implementing interventions; including developmental factors, mismatches between theory and practice, the cultural meanings of drug use and targeting of interventions; as well as reappraising the putative role of peer pressure and self-esteem deficits. Failure to understand and address the role of such factors impairs the effectiveness of interventions. This paper draws upon published reports, reviews and meta-analyses of drug education evaluations to identify the implications for delivery of health education through three key channels/settings-mass media, community and schools.