Getting high on best practice.

This minor dissertation explores the role of various agencies in the delivery of drug education to young people in Cork Local Drug Task Force (LDTF) targeted areas. The author examines if youth drugs education should be considered the primary responsibility of the community-based drugâ?Ts project workers or of teachers. The concept of addiction is reviewed, along with several possible theories to explain it, those being: the psychological theory, the biological/ genetic theory and the sociological/ cultural theory. Several approaches to drug education are investigated, the cognitive-based approach, harm reduction as an approach to drug education and community youth work as an alterative approach. School-based drugs education programmes are outlines and European and Irish drugs policies are studied Questionnaires were administered to the community-based drugâ?Ts project workers of the Cork LDTF and interviews were conducted with representatives of the three funding channels and one of the project workers in order to research a conclusion regarding the role of various agencies in the delivery of drug education to young people. Opinions concerning the different approach to drug education are highlighted and the role of the community in establishing and running drugâ?Ts projects is studied.