'Zero tolerance' and drug education in Australian schools

For a decade in Australia, drug education in schools has been shaped by the approach of harm minimization adopted by state and national governments al ike. Harm minimization has been accepted broadly by drug educators, and has encouraged schools to deepen their commitment to drug education, allowed t hem to communicate honestly with students, and to respond to instances of d rug use in a less confrontational and more caring manner. Despite those adv ances, the notion of 'zero tolerance' within schools has been promoted rece ntly by protagonists in the formulation of drug policy and it is mentioned in the recently published national school drug education policy. This artic le suggests that the adoption of a zero tolerance policy will end the conse nsus among drug educators, reduce the efficacy of drug education, lead to m ore punitive treatment of youthful drug experimenters, while doing nothing to reduce drug use. It concludes the existing policy of harm minimization o ffers schools more scope to address drug issues in a constructive manner th an does zero tolerance, which in practice may inflate the harmful effects o n young people of drug use.