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How do you prevent young people from using drugs? The government has now woken up to the fact that it cannot succeed in stopping the supply of drugs unless the relentless increase in demand is also stemmed. But, as the Home Affairs Select Committee observes in its new report on drugs policy, there is precious little evidence available for what - if anything - governments can do to stop young people from wanting to experiment with drugs.

The new measures announced by education minister Ivan Lewis include new training for teachers in drugs education, and a new brief for Ofsted to inspect drugs education in schools. But without hard evidence of what is effective, it is difficult  to see how the measures are going to produce the hoped-for results. Drug education materials currently range from the “just say no” variety to those which are desperate to be hip. The select committee encountered a leaflet entitled How to Survive Your Parents Discovering You’re a Drug User which advised its readers: “Don’t get caught in the first place. Don’t be blatant or obvious and  remember parents search bedrooms and coat pockets.” This was probably not what Mr Lewis had in mind.

The government has now commissioned a long-term study on the impact of drug, alcohol and tobacco education in schools, but it is not due to conclude until 2007. In the meantime, one piece of solid evidence we do have is that the young people most vulnerable to drug abuse are those excluded from school, so the 11 per cent increase in permanent school exclusions announced last month is bad news.  

Zero tolerance towards young people caught supplying drugs in schools will swell the numbers further. It may also deny teachers and other professionals the flexibility they need to respond to these young people, many of whom are themselves confused and vulnerable.