UNDERSTANDING GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR COLLEGE-BASED EDUCATION FOR DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION

Drug abuse and experimentation with drugs is not uncommon among students in several countries. Sometimes students may consume drugs on college premises. The reaction of teachers, students and administrators to such an event is an important one because it has an impact on the overall perception of drug abuse among students and it may influence the results of education for drug abuse prevention programmes. Therefore, it is necessary for the college to have a clear and open policy in place on how to deal with these situations. No action should be taken until the validity of the information and evidence relating to the incident has been given careful consideration. Young people may from time to time exhibit some of the signs listed below as they meet normal everyday challenges. A combination of factors should be present before drug use is suspected, but even when all those factors are present, drug use is still only one possibility among all the things that can affect young people.