Lesson video

Thank you for joining me in today's lesson, which is all about recreational drug use.

We will be talking about the risks, legal ramifications and the effects of specific recreational drugs and recreational drugs in general throughout the course of this unit.

My name is Mrs. O'Neill let's get started on today's lesson.

So this lesson deals with aspects of drugs education.

If it's sensitive to you, you might wish to consult a trusted adult before completing it, or have a trusted adult nearby.

You're going to need the exercise book and a piece of paper or a piece of paper and a pen or pencil, something to write with.

Hopefully, you've already completed today's introduction quiz.

If you haven't, please just skip back and complete that to before continuing with the rest of the lesson.

We're going to talk about common recreational drug types and their status in the law.

And to talk about the general health risks associated with recreational drugs and some of the social implications, before I'll direct you to our exit quiz.

Let's go through the key words for today's lesson.

Recreational drugs, chemical substances, taken for enjoyment or leisure rather than for medical reasons.

Most are illegal.

County lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

The County line refers to the mobile phone line used to take the orders.

Now, which of these options is not a recreational drug, tobacco, alcohol, ecstasy or prescription painkillers.

Please point to the screen to the correct answer now.

The answer is prescription painkillers.

These are prescribed by a doctor for medical purposes.

So it's not classed as a recreational drug.

Let's look at some recreational drug types and their status within the law.

So recreational drugs are substances people may take to change the way the body thinks and feels, because their friends are using them or to see what it feels like.

And they include alcohol, tobacco, nicotine and illegal substances, such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.

And the future lessons in this unit, we'll look particularly at those four drugs and give you more information about them.

So in your own words, I'd like you to reflect and explain why some people might choose to take recreational drugs.

Please pause the video to do that now.

okay.

Some people might choose to take recreational drugs because they might want to see, how it makes them feel.

They might be experiencing peer pressure or might not want to feel left out.

It might be for one of many reasons, could be that they continue to take recreational drugs due to addiction.

And there's another OIC unit specifically looking at addiction, and which might want to look at if you want to know about that in more detail.

All recreational drugs are illegal.

Is that true or false? Please point to the screen now.

I t's false.

Some drugs like tobacco or nicotine join cigarettes and alcohol are legal for adults.

Some recreational drugs, illegal to use, only, if someone prescribed by a doctor for medical purposes.

Other recreational drugs are illegal.

So we're going to look at recreational drugs through an overview of the law Recreational drugs maybe legal, such as nicotine and alcohol, illegal means it's against the law to have them or supply them to other people.

Most recreational drugs are illegal or controlled that they use in medicine.

And it's legal to take controlled drugs, If a doctor has given you a prescription for them but it's illegal to have them if not or give them to anybody else.

It's important to know the penalties associated with illegal recreational drugs, you can get to find or a prison sentence.

If you take drugs, carry drugs, make drugs, sell deal or share drugs.

Which is known as supplying them.

And those penalties depend on the type of drug or substance, the amount and whether or not it's being produced or sold.

Each drug has a classification.

Possession of a class C drug carries a maximum two year prison sentence.

Possession of a Class A drug carries a maximum seven year prison sentence but penalties for supplying drugs are much heavier.

So let's think about drug possession penalties.

Remember this is only for possession, not for supply.

I would like you to match up the correct prison sentence which would also go with an unlimited fine potentially.

Two, the correct class of drug in terms of possession.

Please drop your answers down, pause the video in order to do so and press play when complete.

Okay, let's have a look and see if your answer's much mine.

Class C drug possession two year maximum sentence, class B five years maximum sentence, class A seven year maximum sentence.

All of which could be accompanied by an unlimited fine.

Some general health risks associated with recreational drug use.

Illegal recreational drugs are highly dangerous.

It's the reason why they are illegal.

That's because they contain uncontrolled quantities of dangerous chemicals.

They can have serious short and long-term health risks, even carrying the risk of death for the first and every subsequent on that used.

And they can be highly addictive.

And if people mix those drugs or take both illegal drugs and alcohol, then they are even at even higher risk.

And if they already have physical or mental health problems, again, taking those illegal recreational drugs can put them at more risk.

So mixing different drugs can be even more dangerous than using one type of drug.

Is that true or false please point to the screen now? It's true.

People are at even higher risk if they mix different types of drugs or take both illegal drugs and alcohol which is also a drug.

Now, sometimes people self-medicate, they inappropriately use substances to try to cope with symptoms of pre-existing health problems such as a physical pain, sleeplessness or anxiety.

And that can be really dangerous and can lead to addiction.

If someone has a medical problem, they should always seek advice and treatment from a doctor and not try to self-medicate.

So bringing together what we talked about in terms of health risks of illegal recreational drugs, please put those health risks now into your own words in a few sentences.

Please pause the video in order to do that and press play when you're ready to resume.

So health risks of some recreational drugs include.

So let's talk about some of the social implications of using illegal drugs.

Buying and selling and using illegal drugs has a social impact.

It contributes towards the demand, which encourages more criminal activity, drug trafficking, intimidation, and recruitment of young people into legal gangs.

Those children and young people can be coerced into transporting drugs from one area to another and that's called County lines.

Any drug conviction can make it harder to get a job and may limit the ability to travel to many countries such as the US.

And this is something that, as young people might not be first and foremost at the front of the mind, but later on in life can really severely affect, their chances to have the career that they want or to travel where they want, if that drug conviction follows them even if it's a minor one.

Taking an illegal drug into another country is really dangerous because the punishment of that country would apply to the person whose traffic those drugs.

And those countries sometimes have different and very harsh laws and punishment for drugs crimes.

If you're taking a prescription abroad, please take the prescription with you to prove it's yours and check any NHS advice on taking medications abroad and check the rules of the country you're visiting just to ensure that you're not inadvertently taking an illegal drug into a country that use in the UK has been prescribed for is perfectly legal.

You need to just double check that that drug is legal and that you're allowed to take it with you to another country.

So having a look at the options on the screen now, which of these options is not an implication or consequence of recreational drug involvement, finding it harder to get a job, difficulty travelling abroad to some countries, children being coerced into illegal gangs and creating less criminal activity overall.

One of those is not an implication or consequence of recreational drugs which one is it please point to the now.

So, involvement in recreational drugs, does not create less criminal activity.

It creates more.

I'd like you to copy the mind map outlined below.

I'm trying out three examples to each section of the mind map.

So recreational drugs, common types and the law, general health risks and social implications.

Give me an example why children are being coerced into gangs.

I would like you to come up with three examples for each section on this mind map, please pause the video to complete this and press play when complete.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

Please remember if anything in this lesson concerns you.

If you need support the issues around recreational drug use, their maybe support available in your own school through school nurse referral or a referral from your school nurse or from your school to drug and alcohol services, please speak to a trusted adult.

The NHS website is full of information that can assist you.

You can also contact Childline, the NSPCC or the Mix.

You can find their information online.

You'll find information on that, not or not just about drug taking but also about County lines and about involvement in illegal gangs.

An advice about what to do and what support that is for you, If you find yourself or someone, you know, is mixed up in those sorts of activities.

I do hope the you'll join me.

You will join me for our next lesson in this unit where we'd be looking specifically at certain types of illegal drugs and going into a little bit more detail about the effects and risks and legal penalties for those specific drugs.

Please do complete today's exit quiz if you've not or ready.

And I hope to see you next time.

Goodbye.