- Edinburgh council and city’s Drug and Alcohol Project issued booklet
- Includes ‘safety tips’ on how to take drugs and their street names
- Advises children to ‘wash out your nose after each session’ using cocaine
- Tells them to ‘take regular breaks from dancing’ when using ecstasy
- The ‘Snapfacts’ book is aimed at people aged 13 to 25 in Edinburgh
- It has been slammed by critics who say it will give the idea drugs are OK
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A council has been slammed for advising children how to take pills, snort cocaine and smoke cannabis in a controversial booklet.
The leaflet, which targets pupils as young as 13, gives ‘safety tips’ on how to take illegal substances and was produced by Edinburgh council and the city’s Drug and Alcohol Project.
The booklet includes street names for drugs, the ‘effects and risks’ of taking them and finally ‘safety tips’ for those ‘determined to use’ drugs.
Pupils are advised to ‘sleep well’ before and after using cocaine, avoiding mixing with alcohol, to ‘wash out your nose after each session’ and to ‘avoid sharing rolled-up bank notes or straws’.
When taking MDMA or ecstasy, children are told to ‘start with a half a pill and wait at least two hours before re-dosing’ and to ‘sip water regularly’ but no more than ‘one pint an hour’. They are also advised to ‘take regular breaks from the dancing to cool down.’
In the advice pack, children are given ‘safety tips’ on how to take cocaine, as well as its street names
The booklet tells youngsters to ‘take regular breaks from dancing’ when taking ecstasy
Elsewhere, they are advised to only take ‘short puffs’ of cannabis if inhaling and to use ‘low strength tobacco and unprinted roaches if smoking’.
The ‘Snapfacts’ book is aimed at 13 to 25-year-olds and was launched yesterday for S4 pupils, aged either 15 or 16, at James Gillespie’s High School, in Edinburgh, with other schools expected to follow in the coming months.
The controversial approach has been criticised by anti-drug campaigners.
Graeme Pearson, MSP for the Labour Party and a former police officer, told MailOnline: ‘I don’t believe that such publications are helpful.
‘The minds of young people are inexperienced and this sort of thing will only help to confirm in their view that taking drugs is an OK past time.
‘I would much prefer it if the authorities tried to get people away from drug abuse, as young people will use any excuse they can to justify their behaviour.’
Mr Pearson, who is also Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, added: ‘The levels of drug abuse in Scotland and the number of drug deaths is still at a very high level and this year it was at its second highest level recorded.
‘It would be better to give young people a future and a hope of employment than giving this sort of advice, which is misplaced.’
The controversial booklet has been slammed by critics who say it will make youngsters think drugs are OK
When taking ecstasy, children are told to ‘start with a half a pill and wait at least two hours before re-dosing’
Agnes Morrison of the Maxie Richards Foundation, an anti-drugs charity said: ‘I don’t know why anybody would put out a leaflet telling teenagers the safe way of taking drugs.
‘There is no safe way to take drugs. Drugs destroy people so why would you want to put together a leaflet?
‘I’ve never come across anything like this. I know they are putting them in schools and that there is other educational information in there.
‘But a lot of kids who do not know anything about drugs might read it and get the impression that there is a safe way to take drugs.
‘It’s like saying “here are 10 easy ways to take drugs”. The only safe guidance against drugs is not to take them at all.’
Cameron Rose, Edinburgh Conservative leader, said he understood there was a need to issue advice on drug abuse, but questioned the distribution of the leaflet to all youngsters.
He said: ‘I do understand the need to give important advice to people who are vulnerable to illegal behaviour, but for something to be distributed to all young people is perhaps not the right way.
‘There are a lot of complicated issues there, but it raises questions about legitimising inappropriate behaviour.
‘It seems inappropriate to be highlighting unwise behaviour.’
But Gael Cochrane, a development officer for the Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Project which is leading the project, said it was the best way to keep teenagers safe.
She said: ‘Some young people will look things up on the internet but many will not. Without all the facts they are in a more dangerous situation.
‘We completely accept there are going to be young people who don’t take drugs or drinks or have sex, and we would support them in that.
‘But they are a small group, as are the ones who are taking lots of drugs. It’s the majority who are undecided.’
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Edinburgh council tell children how to take drugs like cocaine 'safely'
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