STUDENTS AND DRUGS: A NEW student website dedicated to providing objective information about drugs has been launched by the Northern Ireland student movement, NUS-USI, as part of an ongoing drugs education campaign.

"It's the first time on these islands and, as far as I am aware, in Europe that there has been a website completely dedicated to telling students about the dangers associated with drugs," says NUS-USI manager Peter O'Neill.

The website aims to give students information about number of different hard and soft drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, highlighting the dangers in a non-directional way. "We're dealing with young adults who are able to make up their own minds," says O'Neill.

The site will allow students to access information privately, at their own convenience, he says.

As part of the campaign NUS-USI is reprinting the booklet Drugs A Survival Guide, launched last year. Some 25,000 copies of the booklet, which details the highs and lows associated with 14 different types of drugs and the health and legal consequences of drug abuse, will be distributed to colleges across Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the launch, Jo Daykin of the Northern Ireland Drug Strategy said: "I welcome this initiative on the part of NUS-USI to provide important and factual information."

NUS-USI emphasises it does not condone drug use, but realises many students do use legal and illegal drugs and providing them with accurate information is vital to their safety. The website's address is www.nistudentdrugs.info