LJMU to trial pioneering drug prevention project

A ‘promising’ drug prevention scheme from Australia is being adapted to the UK under a LJMU project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The Illicit programme, pioneered in schools in Sydney, has significantly reduced substance use among 15-19-year-olds, including cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy) as well as alcohol and nicotine.

Part of its success is arguably its focus on the broader mental health and attitudes of young people vulnerable to taking up with illegal substances.

Professor Harry Sumnall, of LJMU’s School of Psychology, will lead a pilot scheme to trial the programme in the UK, working with young people and their teachers in 20 schools in Merseyside, Falkirk and Stirlingshire.

Deaths from drug use in England and Wales have risen by 11%, according to data from the Office for National Statistics, with 5,448 fatalities in 2023 - the highest number since records began in 1993.

Professor Sumnall said: “Although alcohol and other drug education is part of the curriculum, teachers often struggle to find the right resources and we don’t know what is delivered in schools actually leads to reductions in substance use.

“The Illicit Project holds great promise. It is one of the few substance use prevention programmes that is backed up by high quality evidence.

'Out of date approaches focus solely on the dangers of substance abuse" - Professor Harry Sumnall

“Our own research shows a strong link between substance use and young people’s mental health and safety. By focusing on these aspects, we think we are more likely to have a positive impact than out of date and ineffective approaches that only focus on stressing the dangers of substance use.”

The UK trial is being funded by the NIHR’s Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances (Phase 2) and is among four innovative projects to share £1.8m in to help reduce recreational drug use in young people.

The NIHR says that despite around 3 million adults using illicit drugs in 2022, there is limited evidence on what may work to reduce demand.

The Illicit Project was co-designed by a team of neuroscientists and mental health experts at The Matilda Centre, University of Sydney, in collaboration with artists and students. It targets students aged 15-19, and consists interactive workshops delivered by trained facilitators over one month.

It is described as a neuroscience approach with focus on the relationship between drug use and mental health and seeks to promote mental wellbeing, self-efficacy for help-seeking, drug reduction skills, and the development of drug/health literacy.

Other benefits are sustainability, low cost, and requiring minimal teacher training, so is easy for schools to adopt and implement.

Prof Sumnall said that despite its impact in Australia, it is important to undertake research to adapt it for delivery in the UK, and to ensure that it can be provided within the UK school system.

“We are going to work with young people to update the programme contents to make sure it is relevant to them, and with school staff and other professionals to ensure that it can be easily delivered in classrooms,” he said.

Siân York, Assistant Headteacher and Safeguarding Lead at Calderstones School in Liverpool, said: "We are delighted to be involved in this project. We believe it is important to empower students to make better life choices and upskill them so that they can keep themselves safe, both mentally and physically. Being part of this project will enable our students to work with the team to create effective resources for schools and students which are engaging, age appropriate and relevant to them."

The research team included School of Psychology researchers Dr Emma Ashworth, Jessie Smith and Laura McCulloch. Other team members are Dr Hannah Carver from the University of Stirling and Dr Brendan Collins from the University of Liverpool.  

They are also collaborating with the original University of Sydney team who developed The Illicit Project.