Drugs and health © KCL. WCED. PENTECH READ the following statements made by young people about taking drugs “When you’re 13 or 14 you do it to be in with the crowd” “It’s not very nice to smoke and get drunk. It’s more socially acceptable if you’re healthy” “I think they know the effects but they seem to think ‘I’m intelligent and I can control it’” “A lot of it’s curiosity in the effect it’s going to have” “The thing that puts me off is I know how harmful it is” I know people who say ‘it’s okay, just try it once, it will be alright” “I’ve seen the state people get into” “Which ever way you go, you’re going anyway” “Well I’m smoking and I’m alright” DISCUSS which of these statements you agree or disagree with. WRITE down what your group thinks about taking drugs. “There’s lots more that I want to know about” 1.

Drugs and health © KCL. WCED. PENTECH STUDY the two graphs which show the effects of smoking on health x x x x x x x x x Annual death rate / men Average number of cigarettes smoked daily Death rate from lung cancer among men smoking different numbers of cigarettes Death rate from lung cancer among men who gave up smoking cigarettes Annual death rate / men Years stopped smoking x x x x x DISCUSS and WRITE what you understand from these graphs 2. Would all people follow the same pattern?

Drugs and health © KCL. WCED. PENTECH clean cotton wool neutral universal indicator solution to suction pump cotton wool now brown and full of tar universal indicator solution now acidic to suction pump LOOK at this smoking machine new cigarette After 10 minutes burning USE this information to DESCRIBE some of the effects of smoking on the lungs. 3.

Drugs and health © KCL. WCED. PENTECH Alcohol is a widely used drug which is legal in most parts of the world. It appears to be a stimulant because it relieves anxiety and shyness. In fact it slows down body reactions and upsets muscular co-ordination. STUDY this data, about the reaction times of one person who had drunk alcohol and one person who had not, and then SKETCH a line graph for each person. The time taken for each person to catch a falling ruler was measured 10 times. TRIAL No.PERSON APERSON B Trials Time in hundredths of a second DISCUSS and WRITE down what this information tells you about the effect of alcohol. What tasks and skills would be dangerous after drinking alcohol? TIME in hundredths of a second 4.

Drugs and health © KCL. WCED. PENTECH There are many situations in which young people are confronted by drug taking. READ about four of these possible situations. 1) A family party: Uncle Ed is drunk again and some of the family are worried about what he might do. 2) The non smoking section of a restaurant: One customer lights a cigarette. People at nearby tables react in different ways. 3) A group of friends playing around a disused factory: Two of the group take out aerosol cans and spray it into their mouths. 4) Family mealtime: A teenage member of the family has a poor appetite and is very thin, but claims to be overweight. CHOOSE one situation and DISCUSS these questions in your group. a) Do you think there is a problem? What do you think it is? b) Is anyone at risk in the situation? Who and why? c) How might people involved in each situation feel? d) What might be the causes of each situation and what could be the solutions? e) How might the characters react to each of your solutions? REPORT back to the whole class what your group thought was the best solution?

Drugs and health © KCL. WCED. PENTECH READ each of the statements listed below 1) If a person commits a crime whilst under the influence of drugs then they are not really responsible for what happened. 2) The reason why young people use drugs is because they see adults using them. 3) People who take drugs should be punished. 4) Smoking should be banned in all public places. 5) If a young person becomes addicted to drugs the parents should take the blame. 6) Young people smoke or drink to impress their friends. 7) If people become ill because of taking drugs, smoking or drinking they should have to pay for medical treatment they need. 8) If young people are told enough horrible things about drug use they won’t be tempted to try them. 9) Tobacco should be made illegal. 10) Drug takers only have themselves to blame if they get sick. 6. DISCUSS each statement and complete the table below Statement Number AgreeDisagree Don’t know Reason