A cross-national comparison of school drug policies in Washington State, United States, and Victoria, Australia

: Using mail survey data collected from primary and secondary school administrators in Washington State, United States, and in Victoria, Australia, this study compared aspects of the school drug policy environment in the 2 states. Documented substance‐use policies were prevalent in Washington and Vi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of school health 2005-04, Vol.75 (4), p.134-140
Main Authors: Beyers, Jennifer M., Evans-Whipp, Tracy, Mathers, Megan, Toumbourou, John W., Catalano, Richard F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Alcohol Drinking
Australia
British Columbia (Victoria)
Communication
Drug Education
Drug policy
Drug Use
Drugs and youth
Foreign Countries
Government regulation
Grade 6
Health aspects
Health Behavior
Health Policy
Humans
Juvenile drug abuse
Law Enforcement
Laws, regulations and rules
Mail Surveys
Polls & surveys
Prevention
Punishment
School discipline
School environment
School Policy
Schools
Smoking
Students
Substance-Related Disorders
United States
Victoria
Washington
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Summary:: Using mail survey data collected from primary and secondary school administrators in Washington State, United States, and in Victoria, Australia, this study compared aspects of the school drug policy environment in the 2 states. Documented substance‐use policies were prevalent in Washington and Victoria but less prevalent in primary schools, especially in Victoria. Victorian school policy‐setting processes were significantly more likely to involve teachers, parents, and students than processes in Washington schools. Consistent with expectations based on their respective national drug policy frameworks, school drug policies in Washington schools were more oriented toward total abstinence and more frequently enforced with harsh punishment (such as expulsion or calling law enforcement), whereas policies in Victorian schools were more reflective of harm‐minimization principles. Within both states, however, schools more regularly used harsh punishment and remediation consequences for alcohol and illicit‐drug violations compared to tobacco policy violations, which were treated more leniently. (J Sch Health. 2005;75(4):134‐140)
ISSN:0022-4391
1746-1561
DOI:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2005.00011.x