Adverts aimed at 11-18 year-olds will appear on youth radio stations and websites and pose a series of drug-related questions.
Teenagers are encouraged to reconsider what they know about drugs and where to find reliable information about the risks.
Teenagers are pointed towards Frank for the facts.
Speaking about the initiative, Home Office minister Lord Henley said: “There are so many ways for young people to get information on drugs: through their friends, the Internet, TV programmes, films and song lyrics but knowing what’s true and where the dangers lie can be difficult.”
He continued: “It’s important young people know that Frank will always give them free and accurate information and confidential advice whenever they need it.”
Credibility and trust established
Since its launch in 2003, Frank has built up significant credibility and trust among young people, with 80% of them knowing about the service and 68% claiming they would use it if they needed drugs advice.
Added Lord Henley: “The advertising we’ve launched will help to ensure Frank continues to be the first port of call for the majority of young people who may be at risk from drugs misuse.”
The Frank service has been running continuously since May 2003 and supports millions of people every year.
The service provides high quality, impartial information on the effects and harms of drugs to anyone, whatever their age, along with advice and support if they, their children or someone they know is at risk of drug misuse.
The new series of adverts will run until the New Year.
Further information on Frank
Frank provides a friendly, confidential and non-judgemental service to anyone wanting help, information or advice about drugs. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It’s free, and operated by fully trained advisers. Advice can be accessed through the Frank Helpline, the Frank website, e-mail and text message.
In particular, Frank aims to give young people the skills and confidence needed to reject drugs and offer parents the information they need to bring up the topic with their children.
Support materials for partners (such as A3 posters and booklets) can be ordered from the Central Storage and Distribution Centre. Interested parties may view examples of the new Frank posters and leaflets and then e-mail the Frank team (at [email protected]) for an order form.
There are a number of partners who run their own local drugs campaigns on a regular basis and use Frank as a way of reaching people with advice about drugs.
Education on a local basis
As the national campaign runs, the Home Office is keen to share examples of the action that is taking place locally. If you’d like to have your local project showcased then please e-mail details to the Frank team.
The Frank service is a key lever to deliver the Government’s anti-drug strategy first set out in 2010. The service specifically addresses the objective to reduce demand by preventing people from taking drugs in the first place.
The strategy highlights that young people in particular need quality drug education to provide thorough knowledge of the effects and harms, and to give them skills and confidence to reject drugs.
Cannabis smugglers sentenced to 33 years in prison
Members of a gang caught trying to smuggle four tonnes of cannabis into the UK on a luxury yacht have been jailed for a total of 33 years.
The smugglers were arrested in July after being tracked for 12 hours at sea by a UK Border Agency patrol vessel, namely HMC Valiant.
The Dutch-registered yacht MV Majestic was spotted in the south west of the English Channel, in the Falmouth area, and its movements monitored.
HMC Valiant tracked the yacht for 100 nautical miles along the English Channel. The GB pound 2 million yacht is believed to have started its journey in north Africa before heading towards the south west part of the English Channel.
In the early hours of Sunday 24 July the MV Majestic was intercepted near the Isle of Wight by HMC Valiant and its sister cutter HMC Searcher. After interviewing the crew, the yacht was escorted into Newhaven harbour.
Cannabis seized worth an estimated GB pound 12 million
UK Border Agency officers then boarded the MV Majestic and carried out a thorough search of the yacht. Packages of cannabis worth an estimated GB pound 12 million were discovered stashed inside an adapted space in the hull accessed through two deck hatches.
Malcolm Bragg, assistant director from the UK Border Agency’s Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: “This is an excellent example of how our efforts in securing the border stop drugs and other dangerous items from entering the UK – in this case before they even reached the British mainland.”
Bragg continued: “The use of the Majestic shows how smugglers will try to pass themselves off as innocent boaters in order to sneak past our controls. That’s why we work closely with members of the boating community to help identify potential risks and safeguard the UK from the harmful trade in illegal goods.”
In conclusion, Bragg stated: “Our efforts have helped bring an international crime gang to justice and the message is clear: we will investigate anyone who tries to smuggle banned substances through the UK border.”
The four men involved have been sentenced as follows:
- Al Turner of Hargham Heath, Attleborough, Norfolk – nine-and-a half years
- Mark Timothy of Sandown Close, Clacton-on-Sea – nine-and-a-half years
- Johan Bouma of Amsterdam, Netherlands – nine-and-a-half years
- Franciscus De Geus of Amsterdam, Netherlands – five years
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