 | Not Cool in School: Cannabis and Youth: A Counsellor's VIEW |
 Young people are under intense peer pressure to drink, smoke and have sex, especially in social settings, and with cannabis use now normalised more realistic drug education approaches are needed, says J'NETTE SAXBY in Norml News Autumn 2004.
These days, most young people have tried cannabis. The Christchurch School of Medicine reports over 70 percent of young New Zealanders aged between 15-21 have smoked cannabis at least once.
Yet I have seen a number of young students referred to an A&D counsellor simply for smoking cannabis.
In my opinion the current policy is insane. For one, a young person who tries cannabis for the first time does not necessarily have a mental health problem, but our system says they do.
When a child is referred for assessment or counselling a file is created. In effect they are part of our mental health system, and may then be assumed to have other problems associated with social deviance, depression and mood disorders. The stigma in being labelled a mental health patient can pose a far greater risk than trying a joint!
The zero tolerance mentality is not about smoking cannabis - it is about maintaining an under dog so that others can feel morally superior.
What we are talking about is a victimless act, where students are going through a normal rite of passage into adulthood. They need good information, support, an openness to be heard and to be able to ask about cannabis. I'm right behind NORML's campaign of "Not cool in schools", and agree most parents probably don't want their children smoking cannabis. But who really thinks it is possible to create a drug-free society ? By that I mean no coffee, no tea, no aspirin, no alcohol, no cigarettes and no heroin.
Not many schools refer a student caught drinking to counselling, nor a student caught smoking tobacco. The bias against cannabis in many schools is alarming. We have at present a lot of crap misinformation imported from America that has no scientific credibility or proven success rate to lower drug use. There are also those foolish enough to believe that urine testing is a good deterrent.
Better, and more education is needed. Any substance has the potential to be abused and like alcohol, cannabis is here to stay, and "use does not equal abuse". It is up to society to understand and demand a realistic law and education package for our youth.
If you are a parent or a student and you have a question about cannabis send it to me.
J'nette Saxby, a mother of three, is a trained teacher (B.Ed) with a Diploma of Counselling in Drug and Alcohol. Email can-talk to jsax @ iconz.co.nz
|
|
|
|
| |
| Login |
|
You can register for some special extra features. | |
| Article Rating |
Average Score: 4.33
Votes: 6
| |
|
