Research has shown a clear link between the age at which someone first tries drugs, and the likelihood they’ll engage in so-called anti-social behaviour. Worryingly, both internationally and in New Zealand, the age at which people use drugs for the first time is dropping.
The Ministry of youth development reports that young men are more likely to report drinking large amounts of alcohol than young women, and they’re also more likely to experience a substance use disorder.
And a Christchurch Health and Development Study estimates that nearly 80 per cent of young people [PDF Link] have used cannabis on at least one occasion.
READ: Megan Whelan investigates New Zealand’s high prevalence of cannabis use, and Jackson Wood looks at Volatile Substance Abuse, or huffing.
What should drug and alcohol education [PDF Link] be, then, and how do we best help the people for whom substance dependence is a problem?
Megan Whelan spoke to the co-founder of Ora, Jackson Wood; Nadia Freeman, from Community Action on Youth and Drugs, and from the same organisation in Auckland, Richie Hardcore.
Concerned about your drinking or drug-taking? You can get advice and help here.