Prevention rather than punishment must become the main focus of strategies to deal with problems usually associated with young people, according to a unique EU meeting of Youth Ministers and youth organisations from 24 European countries.
Many methods employed to deal with illegal drug use were not working and never would because they ignored the root cause, which was unemployment, the delegates from 44 youth organisations told politicians at the two day meeting in Cork.
The Ministers agreed that providing youth services was one of the most effective ways of preventing and combating illegal drug use.