Young people's drug use and advice for parents

How to protect your child from the risk of drugs

There are many things you can do to help protect your child from the risks of using drugs and alcohol.

You can:

make sure they know you care about their happiness
make time to spend with them and talk about their problems or worries
show an interest in their plans to know where they are
be open about what you know on the risks of alcohol and drugs
agree on rules and the consequences for breaking them
support them in their interests, activities and hobbies
support them with their school life. For example:

make time for their homework
encourage them to take part in school activities
talk to their teachers about any problems

A parent's guide to drugs

This guide will help you understand young people’s drug use. It's based on relevant research and contains practical advice about what you can do as a parent, whether your children are using drugs or not.

A parent's guide to drugs

Help for young people

If you have a child or know a young person who's experiencing problems with drugs or alcohol, contact a young person's substance misuse worker for free confidential support. Call +44 (0) 1534 445008 or email a&dservice@health.gov.je.

New psychoactive substances (legal highs) and the law

New psychoactive substances, also called legal highs, often contain illegal substances. They are designed to mimic the effects of mainstream drugs.

Laws put in place quickly in Jersey have ensured that some of these drugs that are legal in the UK are illegal in Jersey and buying them from UK websites and importing them into Jersey is a criminal offence.

They cannot be legally sold, supplied or advertised for human consumption under the law. To get around this, sellers often refer to them as:

research chemicals
plant food
bath crystals

You can be prosecuted if you're found in possession of legal highs, even if you're not sure what they contain.

Police are actively seeking intelligence on these substances and the dealing of them.

Risks of legal highs

There are lots of risks to consider because:

they are completely new and untested. The short or long-term effects of their use are unknown
users can never be sure of what they're taking, as new compounds and variations are constantly being made
you cannot be sure that they don't contain an illegal ingredient
being legal does not make a drug safe
they can have serious effects on mental and emotional health
mixing with other drugs, including alcohol, can increase a risk of an overdose

Side effects

Serious side effects can include:

extreme depression
panic attacks
paranoia
self-harm
suicide
seizures
comas
death

What to do if someone overdoses

If someone has overdosed or had an adverse reaction, call an ambulance immediately and put them in the recovery position.

Tell the paramedics and health care team what has been taken so they have a better chance of providing effective treatment.