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Study
Finds
Not
All
Drug
Users
Are
Losers
11/7/97
A study conducted in Britain by the independent think tank Demos and
published by the Rowntree Foundation, contradicts the stereotype of the
"drug-taking teen." According to the study, which polled and
interviewed people 16-24 years of age, most recreational users in that
cohort were sociable and sensible, rather than deviant. Most drug users
were found to be extremely knowledgeable about the substances they were
taking, had given much thought to how their drug use fit into their lives
in a larger context, and were strongly disapproving of "out of control"
and "problem" drug-using behavior.
"Most drug use takes place as part of a consumer lifestyle, not
a deviant one" said the report. The youths were found to be no less
moral than their non-using counterparts, and were no more prone to fatalistic
thinking. It also notes that there was no "national drug culture"
in Britain, but that patterns of use varied widely among regions and populations.
Patrick O'Hare, Executive Director of the International Harm Reduction
Association, told The Week Online, "This kind of report, not only
shoes up the futility of education AGAINST drugs but reinforces the case
for education ABOUT drugs." (IHRA is on the web at http://www.ihra.org.uk/.)
The Rowntree Foundation's press release and summary of findings can
be seen at http://www.jrf.org.uk/jrf.html
under the title "'Czar' warned to beware of myths about young people
who use drugs" -- follow the Press Release link to get there.
-- END --
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Issue #18, 11/7/97
Washington Initiative Fails at Ballot: No one said this was going to be easy | McWilliams Case Set Back: Judges "changes mind" on medical necessity defense | California Medical Marijuana Providers Conference: Groups sign on to principles and guidelines document | Patient Threatened with Arrest after Seeking Dialogue: Yuba County accused of violating Prop. 215 | South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Eight Year Prison Sentence for Woman Whose Baby was Born with Drugs in System | Prohibition at Work: Mexican law enforcement officers once again involved in sometimes lethal criminal activities | Canadian Passports New Currency in Illegal Drug Market | Poll: British MP's Would Modify Cannabis Law -- split most evident within Labour Party | Five Former Cops Plead Guilty to Drug Trafficking | Whitman Wins, Needle Exchange Loses | Miss America Visits Needle Exchange Program | New MS Treatment Very Effective, But Very Expensive... Medical marijuana still illegal as alternative | World Bank Endorses Needle Exchange Funding | McCaffrey Calls Allegations Inappropriate | Irish Teens Top European Drug Users | Study Finds Not All Drug Users Are Losers | Narcs vs. Murphy Brown: DEA Chief criticizes fictional news anchor for medical marijuana use | Media Watch: Drug war issues in the news | Editorial: Are the drug warriors really fighting for this nation's youth?
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