Should parents drug test their children? Christopher Evans of http://www.drug-aware.com was interviewed live on BBC Three Counties Radio to find out. Is home drug testing for teens / teenagers a good idea?
Showing posts with label teenagers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teenagers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Should parents drug test their children?
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Drug use amongst young people
For parents, one of the biggest concerns they have for the welfare of their teenagers is whether they will become involved with drugs. The statistics for drug abuse are growing higher every year, so this is indeed a valid concern. Even the drugs which are generally viewed as being less harmful such as Cannabis / Marijuana are now being proven to cause previously unforeseen problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia and cause more lung tissue damage than cigarettes.
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from the University of Bedfordshire in the UK has highlighted the impact of heavy Cannabis / Marijuana use on vulnerable young people.
The charity’s research suggests that existing social problems, such as poor educational achievement, homelessness and unemployment are made worse by heavy Cannabis / Marijuana use for those in vulnerable groups whilst others, particularly those in higher or further education, appear to have suffered much less of a detrimental effect.
One hundred interviews were conducted with 16 to 25 year-olds who had all been using Cannabis / Marijuana daily over the past six months, most of whom were smoking 'skunk', a more potent variety of Cannabis / Marijuana containing a higher level of the psychologically active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Although the quantities of THC in the most powerful forms of Cannabis / Marijuana have increased over the past few years, skunk is nevertheless still listed as a class C drug in the UK.
At first the interviewees only dwelt on the perceived positive effects of taking the drug including relaxation, social life, and the feeling of being 'stoned'. It was apparent that the young people, particularly those with less structured lives, were less readily able to associate their drug use with their own social problems such as unemployment or lack of educational qualifications without being prompted to probe more deeply into various aspects of their life to consider cause and effect. The report also highlighted a correlation between the frequency of Cannabis / Marijuana use and the number of social problems encountered - ie those young people using most heavily tended to have the greatest number of social problems.
The author of the report, Dr Margaret Melrose pointed out that young people may not be aware of the extent to which Cannabis / Marijuana use might intensify their existing social problems. Added to this, she raised the danger of professionals assuming that the effects are relatively harmless based solely on young people’s assessment of the impact of Cannabis / Marijuana use in their lives as it is evident that they are not necessarily able to provide an accurate assessment of the impact of their drug use.
Another recent survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives. So there is clearly a need for more assertive intervention at an early age.
In the absence of a drug testing programme at school or college, anxious parents, guardians or caregivers who have concerns about teenagers or young people using drugs are able to conduct a drug test in the privacy of the home. These home drug test kits are used daily by professionals in the healthcare industry and one test can provide easy to read results in minutes for a variety of different drugs. This includes the most common drugs, such as Cannabis / Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Opiates, Methadone and Methamphetamines (including ecstasy).
Testing gets all of the cards on the table and opens up communication - showing your child / teenager that you are looking out for them and offering them a valid excuse when faced by peer pressure to take drugs.
I personally went through my late teens working in a forensics lab and my regular employee drug testing helped me avoid the numerous offers of drugs I received from friends of friends and when out socialising - all without losing any credibility, etc. Prevention is always better than cure, so it is certainly worth considering.
In conclusion, whilst many parents may be nervous about bringing the whole issue out into the open and even asking for a testing regime to be put in place in the home, you have to consider the consequences of failing to act. With over a quarter of 15 year olds in the UK having already tried illegal drugs, that action has come too late in many cases.
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from the University of Bedfordshire in the UK has highlighted the impact of heavy Cannabis / Marijuana use on vulnerable young people.
The charity’s research suggests that existing social problems, such as poor educational achievement, homelessness and unemployment are made worse by heavy Cannabis / Marijuana use for those in vulnerable groups whilst others, particularly those in higher or further education, appear to have suffered much less of a detrimental effect.
One hundred interviews were conducted with 16 to 25 year-olds who had all been using Cannabis / Marijuana daily over the past six months, most of whom were smoking 'skunk', a more potent variety of Cannabis / Marijuana containing a higher level of the psychologically active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Although the quantities of THC in the most powerful forms of Cannabis / Marijuana have increased over the past few years, skunk is nevertheless still listed as a class C drug in the UK.
At first the interviewees only dwelt on the perceived positive effects of taking the drug including relaxation, social life, and the feeling of being 'stoned'. It was apparent that the young people, particularly those with less structured lives, were less readily able to associate their drug use with their own social problems such as unemployment or lack of educational qualifications without being prompted to probe more deeply into various aspects of their life to consider cause and effect. The report also highlighted a correlation between the frequency of Cannabis / Marijuana use and the number of social problems encountered - ie those young people using most heavily tended to have the greatest number of social problems.
The author of the report, Dr Margaret Melrose pointed out that young people may not be aware of the extent to which Cannabis / Marijuana use might intensify their existing social problems. Added to this, she raised the danger of professionals assuming that the effects are relatively harmless based solely on young people’s assessment of the impact of Cannabis / Marijuana use in their lives as it is evident that they are not necessarily able to provide an accurate assessment of the impact of their drug use.
Another recent survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives. So there is clearly a need for more assertive intervention at an early age.
In the absence of a drug testing programme at school or college, anxious parents, guardians or caregivers who have concerns about teenagers or young people using drugs are able to conduct a drug test in the privacy of the home. These home drug test kits are used daily by professionals in the healthcare industry and one test can provide easy to read results in minutes for a variety of different drugs. This includes the most common drugs, such as Cannabis / Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Opiates, Methadone and Methamphetamines (including ecstasy).
Testing gets all of the cards on the table and opens up communication - showing your child / teenager that you are looking out for them and offering them a valid excuse when faced by peer pressure to take drugs.
I personally went through my late teens working in a forensics lab and my regular employee drug testing helped me avoid the numerous offers of drugs I received from friends of friends and when out socialising - all without losing any credibility, etc. Prevention is always better than cure, so it is certainly worth considering.
In conclusion, whilst many parents may be nervous about bringing the whole issue out into the open and even asking for a testing regime to be put in place in the home, you have to consider the consequences of failing to act. With over a quarter of 15 year olds in the UK having already tried illegal drugs, that action has come too late in many cases.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Random Drugs Testing in Schools
Random Drugs Testing in Schools
* A survey published by News of the World on Sunday demonstrated that 82% of parents and 66% of children support drug testing in schools.
Drug use amongst young people is an increasing trend, yet the public perception of the suitability / effectiveness of random drugs testing at school is relatively uncertain. Such testing takes place quite rarely in the UK, in spite of it being a more common practice in the USA.
The average starting age for heroin use in many cities in the UK is just 15, and a survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives. So there is clearly a need for more assertive intervention at an early age.
Parents face the growing concern that their teenager may already be taking drugs, or that they are in an environment where they are exposed to those who will offer them drugs, especially Cannabis / Marijuana. The frightening reality is that this environment may be their school.
In order to learn more about drug use (and in particular Cannabis / Marijuana supply and young people), 182 young people who were Cannabis / Marijuana users aged between 11 and 19 were interviewed for a study published in January 2008 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The sample included both city dwellers and young people from rural villages. Half of the young people had taken cannabis into school or college and 43 per cent said that they used cannabis whilst at school or college. It is clear from the report that the majority of these young people purchase cannabis from their friends or relatives and in turn supply their friends in a new wave of ‘social’ and ‘not-for-profit’ drug-taking which is a departure from the typical dealer-user scenario. One young interviewee told researchers that the people who sold her Cannabis / Marijuana included ‘friends from school’ and shows how combining drug-use with normal social networking is having the effect of normalising the act of taking drugs.
However, a recent study by Neil McKeganey, Professor of Drug Misuse Research at Glasgow University, demonstrates that random drug testing in schools is a more complex and controversial issue than one would at first imagine. Questions arise over matters including cost, ethical issues such as what would happen in the event that a pupil tested positive for drugs and what ‘punishment’ or deterrent would be appropriate, concerns that pupils may switch from easily detectable drugs to more harmful drugs in order to avoid detection, and the probability that a trusting relationship between staff and pupil would be damaged and encourage a culture of concealment. Furthermore, it is possible that enforcing random drug testing of pupils would conflict with the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child or the European Charter on Human Rights.
Whilst acknowledging the obvious need for drug prevention, it appears that further research and data collection is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of drug screening within schools.
In spite of this, results from an ICM Research poll which previously appeared in the News of the World on Sunday demonstrated that 82% of parents and 66% of children support drug testing in schools and of the 1,000 parents surveyed, 96% said they would want to know if their son or daughter was taking drugs.
So what can be done?
In the absence of a drug-testing programme at school or college, anxious parents, guardians or caregivers who have concerns about teenagers or young people using drugs are able to conduct a drug test in the privacy of the home. These home drug test kits are used daily by professionals in the healthcare industry and one test can provide easy to read results in minutes for a variety of different drugs. This includes the most common drugs, such as Cannabis / Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Opiates, Methadone and Methamphetamines (including ecstasy).
Drug-Aware.com is considered by many to be a UK authority on drug awareness, information and testing. Visit our drugs and alcohol information page for more information on the signs, symptoms and effects of the most common drugs or our home drug tests frequently asked questions page to answer your questions on carrying out testing in the home.
* A survey published by News of the World on Sunday demonstrated that 82% of parents and 66% of children support drug testing in schools.
Drug use amongst young people is an increasing trend, yet the public perception of the suitability / effectiveness of random drugs testing at school is relatively uncertain. Such testing takes place quite rarely in the UK, in spite of it being a more common practice in the USA.
The average starting age for heroin use in many cities in the UK is just 15, and a survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives. So there is clearly a need for more assertive intervention at an early age.
Parents face the growing concern that their teenager may already be taking drugs, or that they are in an environment where they are exposed to those who will offer them drugs, especially Cannabis / Marijuana. The frightening reality is that this environment may be their school.
In order to learn more about drug use (and in particular Cannabis / Marijuana supply and young people), 182 young people who were Cannabis / Marijuana users aged between 11 and 19 were interviewed for a study published in January 2008 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The sample included both city dwellers and young people from rural villages. Half of the young people had taken cannabis into school or college and 43 per cent said that they used cannabis whilst at school or college. It is clear from the report that the majority of these young people purchase cannabis from their friends or relatives and in turn supply their friends in a new wave of ‘social’ and ‘not-for-profit’ drug-taking which is a departure from the typical dealer-user scenario. One young interviewee told researchers that the people who sold her Cannabis / Marijuana included ‘friends from school’ and shows how combining drug-use with normal social networking is having the effect of normalising the act of taking drugs.
However, a recent study by Neil McKeganey, Professor of Drug Misuse Research at Glasgow University, demonstrates that random drug testing in schools is a more complex and controversial issue than one would at first imagine. Questions arise over matters including cost, ethical issues such as what would happen in the event that a pupil tested positive for drugs and what ‘punishment’ or deterrent would be appropriate, concerns that pupils may switch from easily detectable drugs to more harmful drugs in order to avoid detection, and the probability that a trusting relationship between staff and pupil would be damaged and encourage a culture of concealment. Furthermore, it is possible that enforcing random drug testing of pupils would conflict with the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child or the European Charter on Human Rights.
Whilst acknowledging the obvious need for drug prevention, it appears that further research and data collection is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of drug screening within schools.
In spite of this, results from an ICM Research poll which previously appeared in the News of the World on Sunday demonstrated that 82% of parents and 66% of children support drug testing in schools and of the 1,000 parents surveyed, 96% said they would want to know if their son or daughter was taking drugs.
So what can be done?
In the absence of a drug-testing programme at school or college, anxious parents, guardians or caregivers who have concerns about teenagers or young people using drugs are able to conduct a drug test in the privacy of the home. These home drug test kits are used daily by professionals in the healthcare industry and one test can provide easy to read results in minutes for a variety of different drugs. This includes the most common drugs, such as Cannabis / Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Opiates, Methadone and Methamphetamines (including ecstasy).
Drug-Aware.com is considered by many to be a UK authority on drug awareness, information and testing. Visit our drugs and alcohol information page for more information on the signs, symptoms and effects of the most common drugs or our home drug tests frequently asked questions page to answer your questions on carrying out testing in the home.
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Dangers of Underage Drinking
Dangers of Underage Drinking
Alcohol can be more harmful to children (or teens) than adults, as their brains haven't finished developing, so underage drinking is never a good thing. It is also important for young people to understand that alcohol shouldn't be used at every social occasion - even for adults. Persistent use can lead to dependence, in the same way as many other drugs.
Medical experts agree that there is no strictly "safe" level of alcohol consumption. Binge drinking dramatically increases people's tendency toward taking risks, reduces their inhibitions, slows their reaction times and affects co-ordination, putting them at greater risk of accidents and criminal or otherwise inappropriate behaviour.
In the longer term, regular alcohol consumption increases your risks of: liver damage, cancer (of the liver, mouth, throat, and breast), mental health problems, weight gain, heart disease, stroke, shrunken genitals and reduced fertility. Alcohol reduces your body's ability to absorb nutrition, and the weight gain can also contribute to other conditions such as diabetes.
If you require more information on drugs and alcohol visit www.drug-aware.com
Medical experts agree that there is no strictly "safe" level of alcohol consumption. Binge drinking dramatically increases people's tendency toward taking risks, reduces their inhibitions, slows their reaction times and affects co-ordination, putting them at greater risk of accidents and criminal or otherwise inappropriate behaviour.
In the longer term, regular alcohol consumption increases your risks of: liver damage, cancer (of the liver, mouth, throat, and breast), mental health problems, weight gain, heart disease, stroke, shrunken genitals and reduced fertility. Alcohol reduces your body's ability to absorb nutrition, and the weight gain can also contribute to other conditions such as diabetes.
If you require more information on drugs and alcohol visit www.drug-aware.com
Drug Testing Children or Teenagers
Drug Testing Children or Teenagers
Someone recently asked what my position was on drug testing children / teenagers... Here is a brief version of my answer.
Based on the latest statistics most people who start using drugs do so in their early teens. The average starting age for heroin in many cities in the UK is just 15, and a survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives.
So should a quarter of parents wait until their 15 year old children are already doing drugs before taking any action?
Testing gets all the cards on the table and opens up communication - showing that you are looking out for them and offering them a valid excuse when faced by peer pressure to do drugs.
I personally went through my late teens working in a forensics lab and my regular employee drug testing helped me avoid the numerous offers of drugs I received from friends of friends and when out socialising - all without losing any credibility, etc.
Visit http://www.drug-aware.com/home-drug-tests-faq for home drug testing frequently asked questions.
If you need further help / support:
In the UK, I would advise you to call Talk To Frank, the Government funded drugs / alcohol helpline on 0800 77 66 00 or http://www.talktofrank.com
In the USA, I would suggest you call Addiction Search toll free on 1-800-559-9503 or http://www.addictionsearch.com for someone to steer you in the right direction.
Based on the latest statistics most people who start using drugs do so in their early teens. The average starting age for heroin in many cities in the UK is just 15, and a survey of over 20,000 UK school children showed that 9% of 13 year olds and over a quarter (27%) of 15 year olds had used an illegal drug at some point in their lives.
So should a quarter of parents wait until their 15 year old children are already doing drugs before taking any action?
Testing gets all the cards on the table and opens up communication - showing that you are looking out for them and offering them a valid excuse when faced by peer pressure to do drugs.
I personally went through my late teens working in a forensics lab and my regular employee drug testing helped me avoid the numerous offers of drugs I received from friends of friends and when out socialising - all without losing any credibility, etc.
Visit http://www.drug-aware.com/home-drug-tests-faq for home drug testing frequently asked questions.
If you need further help / support:
In the UK, I would advise you to call Talk To Frank, the Government funded drugs / alcohol helpline on 0800 77 66 00 or http://www.talktofrank.com
In the USA, I would suggest you call Addiction Search toll free on 1-800-559-9503 or http://www.addictionsearch.com for someone to steer you in the right direction.
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