School distributes information for informed choices

Here's an idea that's long overdue; providing honest and useful information about the consumption of drugs to our young people. Call it the anti-Dare. A university in Birmingham, England, in response to a student survey, is taking the realistic approach in that their students are going to be experimenting with illicit substances and has published a booklet that aims to eliminate the associated harms with their use.

The Aston University publication will explain what drugs can be taken together without causing dangerous side-effects, as well as giving guidance on how to go about obtaining "properly supplied" substances.

Critics are of course raising the usual wrongheaded clamor about encouraging drug use but there are those, such as Action on Addiction, a charity set up to prevent drug, alcohol and nicotine abuse, who support this infinitely sensible and rational means of educating the students so they can make informed decisions about whether or not to experiment with those substances.

Last One Speaks applauds Dr Matthew Nye and Aston University's courageous stance on this ground-breaking effort and looks forward to the long term statistical results from trying this method. I'm predicting that drug use on campus will either remain the same or even diminish, while harms such as overdoses and drug related illnesses will be greatly reduced.