Deconstructing drug prevention: towards an alternative purpose

This paper is concerned with deconstructing popular and widespread understanding of the term 'drug prevention' when it is applied to education within schools and to the general population. The concept of informed choice is thoroughly examined with reference to questions of objectivity, the limitation of fact- or information-based programmes, and the role of psychological factors in the causation of substance use. The paper considers the potential value of programmes based on attitudes and feeling as an alternative.