Balls: Drugs education for 'pupils of all ages'

Wednesday, 25, Jul 2007 12:00

Ed Balls, children and schools secretary, has called for drugs education to be given to pupils of any age, as the government pushes for drug awareness lessons in primary school.

"Drugs can ruin lives, which is why those who are working to help young people need to understand why they might be tempted to use drugs and offer them the support they need," he said.

"By asking all schools to continue to provide effective drugs education to pupils of all ages we can help young people avoid using drugs in the first place. We know that this kind of work can be really effective in influencing attitudes amongst young people."

But despite positive rhetoric, government policy seems to have had little effect on drug use among the young, which remains higher in the UK than in any other European country.