Appropriately enough, on Thursday last week we were busy delivering drug education in a school that also served as a polling station. Meanwhile, across the land, votes were cast that elected our new government. Here is our response.
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, Director and Founder of drug education charity the DSM Foundation, said:
“The DSM Foundation welcomes our new Government, and we very much look forward to working with them to support young people to make safer choices about drugs.
We were so pleased to see such a strong commitment in the Labour manifesto to investing in the wellbeing of young people and building resilience against risk, including increasing support for young people’s mental health, generating positive community engagement through Young Futures Hubs, and already announcing a new law to tackle drug dealers’ exploitation of children and young people into criminal activity.
There’s a lot to be done when it comes to young people, drugs and decisions, however. We would urge the new government to maintain, strengthen and extend the current drug strategy’s focus on reducing the demand for drugs through evidence-based prevention measures, including drug education for all young people that equips them to manage decisions about drugs more safely. Positive strides forward have been made in recent years, and we look forward to working together to be a part of making the difference that’s needed in the years to come.”
