NCJ Number
204146
Journal
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2003 Pages: 331-344
Date Published
November 2003
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on the knowledge and perceptions of illegal drugs held by a sample of 216 preteen children in Glasgow and Newcastle (Scotland).
Abstract
The data were collected in the course of a larger study of preteen school children's attitudes toward illegal drugs and their experiences with drugs. The quantitative element of the study consisted of a survey of 2,382 children 10- to 12-years-old from 47 schools in Glasgow and Newcastle. The schools were selected to reflect the social demography of the two cities. The 216 children in the sample for the current study included all those who had either used or been offered drugs as well as a random selection from the remainder of the larger sample. The sample thus included 43 children who had used drugs on at least 1 occasion, 42 who had been offered drugs but had not used them, and 131 who had neither used nor been offered drugs. The interviews were semistructured and explored a range of topics associated with the children's knowledge of drugs, their attitudes toward them, and their experience of drug use or of being exposed to use by others. The interviews also examined the context of respondents' views and experiences by asking them to describe their main activities, their families, and their peer networks. Although approximately one-fourth of the children regarded all illegal drugs as equally bad, the remainder were able to distinguish between drugs to varying degrees. Cannabis in particular was often regarded as being less harmful than other illicit drugs, especially by those children who had used the drug themselves. The children's knowledge of illegal drugs generally was limited, vague, and often erroneous. Addressing the gaps and confusions in preteen children's knowledge of drugs presents a challenge to drug education. Education materials and programs should be carefully chosen. Emphasis should be given to drugs that are prevalent in the local area. The longer term risks of cannabis use must be conveyed more effectively to an age group that tends to focus exclusively on the drug's short-term effects and dangers. 16 references