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                                                      CHS  Drug education strategy

Rationale

The schools drug education strategy follows the philosophy of the national schools drug education strategy (1999) in identifying schools as being “critical places to educate young people to the harm of drug misuse”.

The school’s strategy identifies drug taking during teenage years as being a causal factor in:

• Impaired academic performance.
• Impaired physical development.
• Impaired psychological development.
• Disruption to family functioning.
• Inability to integrate into society.

 Goals 

The schools drug education strategy aims to promote a healthy, safe school and local community through.

1. Promotion of the principles of harm minimisation associated with societally accepted drugs e.g. Tobacco, Alcohol, and Caffeine.
2. Promoting total abstinence from the use of illicit drugs.
3. Providing students with up to date information on drugs, drug use and the impact of the misuse of drugs on the individual and wider society.
4. Help students develop the knowledge and skills to make responsible decisions associated with drugs and drug use.

Implementing the strategy At Coonabarabran High School.

The following principles are aligned with those indicated by the National schools drug education strategy(1999), thus ensuring Coonabarabran High is utilising the most contemporary and valid approaches to school drug education.

1. Drug education is best taught in the context of the school health curriculum.
2. Drug education in schools should be conducted by the teacher of the health curriculum.
3. Drug education programmes should have sequence, progression and continuity over time throughout schooling.
4. Drug education messages across the school environment should be consistent and coherent.
5. Drug education programmes and resources should be selected to complement the role of the classroom teacher, with selected external resources enhancing, not replacing that role.
6. Approaches to drug education should address the values, attitudes and behaviours of the community and the individual.
7. Drug education needs to be based on research, effective curriculum practice and identified student needs.
8. Objectives for drug education in schools should be linked with the overall goal of harm minimisation.
9. Drug education strategies should be related directly to the achievement of the programme objectives.
10. The emphasis of drug education should be on drug use likely to occur in the target group, and drug use which causes the most harm to the individual and society.
11. Effective drug education should reflect an understanding of the characteristics of the individual, the social context, the drug and the interrelationship of these factors.
12. Drug education programmes should respond to developmental, gender, cultural, language, socio-economic and lifestyle differences relevant to the level of student use.
13. Mechanisms should be developed to involve students, parents and the wider community in the school drug education programme at both planning and implementation stages.
14. The achievement of drug education objectives, processes and outcomes should be evaluated.
15. The selection of drug education programmes, activities and resources should be made on the basis of an ability to contribute to long term positive outcomes in the health curriculum and the health environment of the school.
16. Those responsible for administering the program ensure their own professional development is aligned with the most contemporary approaches.
17. Relationships are built between Coonabarabran High School, parent groups, community groups and also NSW dept of education drug education support groups.
18. The wider environment is monitored on an ongoing basis for changes and updates to the climate in which drug education is delivered.

Common drug classifications

The following is offered as relevant and important information for the awareness of all staff. The most common definition of a drug is

"any substance which changes the way the body or mind functions'"

This includes prescription drugs, painkillers, widely used drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, and illegal drugs such as cannabis, amphetamines and heroin. Minors cannot legally purchase alcohol and tobacco. There are three main types of drugs - depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens.

Depressants

Depressant drugs don't necessarily make a person feel depressed. They slow down the central nervous system, including the sending of messages to and from the brain. In small doses, depressants can cause a person to be more relaxed and less inhibited. In

larger doses they may cause unconsciousness, vomiting and death. Depressants affect concentration and co-ordination. They slow down the ability to respond to unexpected situations.

Depressant drugs include alcohol, tranquillisers (eg Valium, Rohypnol), barbiturates, heroin, morphine, opium, methadone and most inhalants (eg. aerosols, solvents, glue, petrol, cleaning fluid, and laughing gas.)

Stimulants

Stimulants act on the central nervous system to speed up the messages going to and from the brain. Stimulants increase the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. They release more sugar into the bloodstream. They increase alertness and self-confidence

and may reduce feelings of tiredness and hunger. In large doses, they may cause anxiety and panic.

Stimulants include amphetamines (speed) and cocaine. Nicotine and caffeine are also mild stimulants.

 Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens affect perception. People who have taken them may see or hear things that are not really there or what they see may be distorted in some way. The effects of hallucinogens vary greatly. It is impossible to predict how they will affect a particular person at a particular time.

Hallucinogens include magic mushroom, LSD, mescaline (PCP) and marijuana. Hallucinogens may have a depressant or a stimulant effect as well as an hallucinogenic effect. For example, marijuana is a depressant as well as an hallucinogen.