1. Foreword

As the National Drugs Strategy has progressed during the last eight years it has become increasingl evident that overcoming the problems resulting from drug misuse needs to be one of our highest priorities.

It is estimated that in the County and the City, £60 million worth of acquisitive crime is committed every year to feed drug habits. People’s lives are ruined either by being the victims of the crime or the victims of the habit.

NCC is moving to maximise its work in collaboration with the Nottinghamshire DAAT Partnership to educate and prevent children and young people and others from experimenting with substances, to make communities safer, to treat those dependent on the use of substances, to minimise their harm and to disrupt the supply.

Most importantly, we need to do all we can to reduce the use of class A drugs and frequent use of any illicit drug by children and young people under the age of 25 and especially by the most vulnerable children and young people. If we can reduce demand through education the market can be disrupted and the risks diminish.

This policy focusing on children and young people has been produced to support NCC employees and others commissioned by the County Council and the Nottinghamshire DAAT Partnership who work with children and young people. I commend the policy to you and ask you to familiarise yourself with it.