War against drugs has largely failed, says children’s expert

THE so-called war against drugs is unwinnable and campaigns to persuade young people to say no to drugs have largely failed, a leading children’s expert said yesterday.

Shane Butler, of Trinity’s Children’s Research Centre said at the launch of a new programme to direct young people away from the misuse of drugs and drink, that slogan-based campaigns such as Just Say No or, Smile, You’re on Heroin were not effective.

The research centre is working with the ISPCC to develop and run a programme aimed at identifying those at risk of abuse, appointing a mentor to encourage and support that person, and try to prevent that person from leaving school early.

Called the Natural High Drugs Campaign, it is a strand in the charity’s drugs programme for 2002/2003. W hat we find is almost from the start the policy-making activities that were established succeeded in identifying what is good practice and what is bad practice,” Dr Butler said. “The odd thing is we keep forgetting and have to learn all over again,” he said. The new approach by the ISPCC was welcomed by Children’s Minister Brian Lenihan ISPCC chief executive Paul Gilligan said: “We introduced this campaign following work by the Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College, which found the Say No to Drugs message is no longer effective The campaign will be run through ISPCC centres in Drogheda, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Mayo, Monaghan, Letterkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Arklow and Mullingar.