Drug education: a review of British Government policy and evidence on effectiveness

British Government policy on drugs primary prevention is outlined and principal recommendations are identified. The review is organized under the four main providers: police, teachers, peers and parents. Current methods are reviewed within a British policy framework with a focus on British programmes which have been evaluated. Most programmes use a combination of information, resistance or life skills training and normative education. Evaluative research suggests these methods are generally most effective. The police have achieved a community-wide approach, teachers have managed to integrate drug education into the National Curriculum, peer approaches have considered the needs of their target audience and parent approaches have recruited influential educators. However, more evaluative research is required before we can identify which particular programmes are most effective in reducing drug use.