Drug education in schools

Defining drug education in schools

Effective drug education is important because young people are faced with many influences to use both licit and illicit drugs. Education can play a counterbalancing role in shaping a normative culture of safety, moderation, and informed decision making.

The Department assists Victorian schools to develop ongoing, sustainable drug education policies and programs based on a harm minimisation approach. A harm minimisation approach aims to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drugs by minimising or limiting the harms and hazards of drug use for both the community and the individual without necessarily eliminating use. It is recognised that teachers are best placed to provide young people with the skills and knowledge to make sound choices and decisions and thus teachers must be adequately trained.

Why do we need school drug education?

Engaging students in drug education activities assists them to make healthy and safe choices, identify risky situations, and develop strategies to prepare them for challenging situations. A range of resources to assist teachers in this role are available on this website.

Source: Victoria