It’s the sad fates of well-known addicts, rather than any ‘war on drugs’, that has place young human beings off using illicit substancesGovernment figures published this week have revealed that illicit drug employ among the young is at its lowest level since 1996. This news has been accompanied by a curious silence from those behind the “war on drugs”. Why are they not proclaiming a fantastic victory, announcing final vindication in the face of those liberals who pronounced their efforts futile?Could it be, perhaps, that the officers and foot soldiers of this war have so small faith in their own enterprise that they can’t much muster the will to grasp a PR boost when one comes along? It seems that much those behind the multimillion-pound attempts to stifle the global production and shipment of drugs know that their task, rather than affecting what young human beings place up their noses and into their veins, is one of political grandstanding. If drug employ is on the wane among contemporary youth, this can only be due to a decline in demand, rather than supply.Can any politician, administration adviser or educational organisation claim this as their victory? Has any actual policy been vindicated by this announcement? For all the money and effort thrown at the difficulty, it would appear that the most significant factor is that tastes and fashions alter, as each generation discovers fresh ways to have fun or rebel.Where drug employ may once have seemed like a daring path to shock one’s parents, immediately it seems like another obstacle on the path to health and prosperity. We commence by teaching our children the green cross code, and go on, through the years, to giving tips as to how to keep yourself safe at parties where banned substances are on offer. Young human beings who commence taking drugs are unlikely to feel that in doing so they are entering a thrilling netherworld beyond the comprehension of their parents.In the past, however much educators tried to teach the young that there was nothing “glamorous” about drugs, their employ always retained an aura of rebellion, and rebellion will always seem alluring. What appears to have changed in the at the end 10 years is that this message has gradually begun to seem plausible. The more shocked parents were by drug employ, the more drug employ became attractive to the young. Recently, as human beings who once took drugs have become parents themselves, the shock value has declined and with it a key element of their initial appeal.For all the opprobrium justly heaped on British tabloids, their pursuit and exposure of celebrity drug-users can surely capture some credit in the deglamorising of drugs, which must be a key factor in the slimming down of demand. The dope-smoking of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 60s only made them seem more heroic; whatever the Pleased Mondays were on in the 80s, it was dense to delight in the music without wanting to try it; as for Acid House in the 90s, just the designation tells you that drugs were perceived as part of the fun. Nobody thinks the addictions of Amy Winehouse, who died a year ago this week, were a contributing factor to her creativity or musical success. Celebrity drug tales these days, from Pete Doherty to Whitney Houston, are always grisly and sad. At extended at the end, it would seem, there really is nothing glamorous about drugs. Our culture has changed.Drug education films once showed skeletal junkies mainlining heroin in dripping tenements, and tried to convince young human beings this was the inevitable end result of a hardly any puffs on a joint. This message was implausible and ineffective. Immediately, however, the humiliating demise of well-known addicts is changing the tastes of the young. If the war on drugs has an influential figurehead, it is not George Bush or any Metropolitan police drugs tsar. It is Amy Winehouse.DrugsDrugs policyYoung peopleDrugs tradeAmy WinehouseWhitney HoustonHealthWilliam Sutcliffeguardian.co.uk © 2012 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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