Cannabis News Stop the Drug War!
  New Drugs Aim To Inform Instead of Warn
Posted by FoM on March 19, 2002 at 20:16:28 PT
By Hamish Macdonell, Scottish Political Editor  
Source: Scotsman UK 

justice Ministers announced a major U-turn on drugs policy yesterday, rejecting the traditional Just Say No approach in favour of an information campaign explaining what drugs are and what they do.

Jim Wallace, the justice minister, conceded that telling young people not to take drugs had not worked. Indeed, Mr Wallace claimed the inflexible approach might even have had the effect of persuading some young people to take drugs as a form of rebellion.

The new policy, Know the Score, is designed to tell parents and young people exactly what drugs do and what dangers they pose.

A series of detailed leaflets and booklets have been produced and a website set up to explain what drugs are available in Scotland, what they are known as on the street and what the effects are.

However, Mr Wallace denied that the new policy represented an admission of failure on behalf of the executive.

He said: "I would deny we are going soft but Just Say No has had little or no impact and may even have had the counter-effect."

And he added: "They are not going to salute the flag and just do it because they are being told to do it, they will choose healthy lifestyles because they have the information, the fact-based information, that shows them that is the course to take."

The £6 million information strategy is part of the executive’s three-year £128 million anti-drugs fund which is being implemented through drug courts and rehabilitation services.

The three-pronged initiative will target dealers by confiscating their assets, rehabilitate addicts and provide information for the public to enable them to make decisions.

Welcoming the strategy, the director of Scotland Against Drugs, Alistair Ramsay, said: "Old practices like finger-wagging and sermonising on matters designed to scare young people away from drugs clearly have not worked."

But the Tories criticised the new approach, claiming the executive had not given Just Say No a chance to succeed.

The Scottish Tory justice spokesman, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, said: "Parents who try hard to dissuade their children from taking drugs will be dismayed at the executive’s climbdown.

"Instead of sticking to the message that drug abuse is dangerous and stepping up efforts to eliminate it, the executive appears to have raised the white flag and softened its policy towards drug abuse.

"This short-sighted and irresponsible attitude sends out entirely the wrong message to our young people."

PARENTS AND DRUGS KNOWING THE SCORE

The Know the Score literature is probably the most detailed, graphic and knowledgeable information ever put out by the government to parents on the subject of drugs.

The parents-pack does not hold anything back. It explains not just what the drugs do but what the drugs are known as on the street.

The pack also tells parents how to spot the symptoms of drug abuse and what to do if their child collapses as a result of taking drugs.

The aim is to bridge the generation gap between parents and their children which often prevents parents from communicating properly about drugs.

In one concise piece of advice to parents, it states: "There’s nothing worse for a teenager than a parent who tries to be ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ when we almost certainly don’t know the name of the latest drug."

It recommends asking questions, listening and then giving advice rather than lecturing.

The pack divides the available drugs into stimulants (MDMA, cocaine and amyl nitrates), depressants, (heroin, methadone and solvents) and hallucinogens (LSD, cannabis and magic mushrooms), explaining each one in detail.

For instance, it explains how ecstasy, or MDMA, is known as E, love hearts, doves, rhubarb and custard and disco burger, and that it is sold in white or brown tablets or capsules.

It sets out the legal penalties for possession and dealing in each case and offers First Aid advice and support-centre telephone numbers.

The passage on LSD shows the sort of information which the executive wants to get across to parents.

It states: "Acid is normally sold in small amounts which have been soaked into blotting paper printed with various designs. When a person takes it they have hallucinations.

"The way they see, hear and feel the world around them changes both at the time of taking the drug and in the form of flashbacks afterwards."

Source: Scotsman (UK)
Author: Hamish Macdonell, Scottish Political Editor
Published: March 20, 2002
Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2002
Contact: Letters_ts@scotsman.com
Website: http://thescotsman.co.uk/

Related Articles:

Executive Turns Drug Fight Away
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12142.shtml

End of 'Just Say No' Drugs War
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12141.shtml

Ministers Declare 'War on Drugs' is Over
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12138.shtml


Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help

 
Comment #3 posted by Morgan on March 20, 2002 at 07:36:24 PT
From Scotland
"The Know the Score literature is probably the most detailed, graphic and knowledgeable information ever put out by the government to parents on the subject of drugs."

Found at http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Cove/8430/dhal.html

Cannabis Hallucinogen/Depressant Class B

(Oil is Class A)

Other names: dope, blow, grass, spliff, ganja, draw, hash, weed, pot, joint, shit, sensi, skunk.

This is available in several forms. Resin is sold in light brown to black blocks and Herbal is dried leaves, like chopped grass. Its is also available as an oil (Class A). It is usually smoked with tobacco in a joint or on its own in a pipe. It is sometimes eaten or used in cooking. Cannabis makes you more aware of sight and sound, time seems to move more slowly. It can give you a relaxed feeling and may make you feel sexy. You may want to eat or may get the giggles. Some people feel sick and anxious, get paranoid and suffer from palpitations. It is important to be aware that "skunk" and home grown cannabis is stronger than resin and can have unpredictable effects including hallucinations. The effects last several hours and a continous state can be achieved with continous smoking. in the long term using cannabis can lead to lethargy (not wanting to do anything), short-term memory loss, possible paranoia, and depression. There is a risk of cancer and coronary heart disease from smoking. Points to remember: 1. Not all people will be affected by the same drug the same way. 2. Very few drugs, when bought, are pure - you may not be taking what you think you are. 3. Eating and sometimes smoking may cause nausea. 4. It is dangerous to use cannabis and drive or operate machinery.

Not exactly 'accurate' in my humble opinion, as they still feel the need to highlight the negative. And classifing it as a hallucinogen? But a start... I guess.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #2 posted by Elfman_420 on March 20, 2002 at 02:35:41 PT
off topic, but very funny
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." Kristian Wilson, Nintendo Inc, 1989

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #1 posted by JHarshaw on March 19, 2002 at 20:24:39 PT
A Glow
A glow, a glimmer, A small point of light finally shows at the end of a long dark tunnel!

[ Post Comment ]

  Post Comment
Name:        Password:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comment:   [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]

Link URL:
Link Title:


Return to Main Menu


So everyone may enjoy this service and to keep it running, here are some guidelines: NO spamming, NO commercial advertising, NO flamming, NO illegal activity, and NO sexually explicit materials. Lastly, we reserve the right to remove any message for any reason!

This web page and related elements are for informative purposes only and thus the use of any of this information is at your risk! We do not own nor are responsible for visitor comments. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings on this site are made available without profit for research and educational purposes. Any trademarks, trade names, service marks, or service names used on this site are the property of their respective owners. Page updated on March 19, 2002 at 20:16:28