Today is the final of a six-part series on the damage methamphetamine is doing to New Zealand and what we can do to fix it.
Traditional drug education in schools has little or no effect on young people's tendency to take drugs such as P, researchers have warned.
A Massey University review says bringing in experts to teach about the dangers of drugs and alcohol does not lead to a long-term change in student behaviour - mainly because teenagers have other stronger influences in their lives.
The research was dismissed by one of the country's longest-running providers, the Life Education Trust, as irrelevant academic criticism.
But the newly formed Stellar Trust, which aims to promote education about methamphetamine, says it is aware of the findings and is planning a more community-based approach.
The review by Massey's Auckland-based Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation applied the findings of overseas research to similar programmes in New Zealand schools.
Centre director Professor Sally Casswell said many of the local programmes were very well taught and had some effect on changing short-term attitudes to drugs and alcohol.
"The problem comes from the fact that people are engaging in this teaching with the expectation that it will prevent kids from using the drugs they are being taught about.
"And that's where the evidence is really clear that this doesn't make a difference. Some time later on when they're in a social situation with their friends and drugs are available, it doesn't really compete."
Professor Casswell said it was far more important to restrict the availability of drugs and for parents to give strong guidelines to their children.
Schools could concentrate on helping children with serious behaviour problems who were most at risk of using drugs.
But if she was on a school board, she would not support bringing in drug and alcohol educators to talk to classes.
"It's just a complete waste of money. Why would you do it?"
She added that some research suggested that talking to students about illegal drugs could increase their curiosity to try them.
Life Education Trust founder Trevor Grice said he had no interest in Professor Casswell's comments.
"They've never come near us. All they do is criticise."
He said the trust, which worked in primary schools, taught children about how to look after their bodies, with no direct references to drugs or alcohol until Year 8, the year before they started secondary school. Research showed 90 per cent of schools valued the trust's visits as part of their health and physical education programmes.
Stellar Trust deputy chairman Alister Lawrence said the trust was aware of research in this area.
It planned to take a broader educational approach across a number of fronts, which included schools but also parents, employers and whole communities. The trust planned to have a network of community coalitions in every town and city that would help provide resources to each group.
