To keep teenagers away from drugs, a new course has been written into the curriculum for primary and secondary schools in Beijing. 

Drugs and AIDS came under the spotlight on World AIDS Day on December 1.

Although human beings have a longer history of fighting drug addiction than AIDS, the task remains herculean. Drugs are beginning to attack the vulnerable, especially the young.

Statistics from the National Drug Control Commission show that the number of drug addicts below the age of 35 accounts for 70 percent of all addicts. They have already become a part of schools, targeting impressionable teenagers.

It has also been reported that 30 percent of juvenile trouble-makers have gone off the rails because of drugs.

The Beijing government now says that students aged 11 to 18 must be educated about drugs. Young people need to be made more aware of the danger of narcotics to stop them getting involved.

Knowledge is the most effective weapon that schools can give to minors.

Drug-taking starts for a number of reasons, some of which seem stupid in adult eyes. Girls may take them thinking they are the way to keep them fit and slim.

Some youngsters submit to peer pressure to show they have "street cred." Some are simply rebels with a cause, usually against their parents and discipline.

Beijing's required education is timely and necessary. And it isn't just the schools that should take responsibility. Parents must play a part too, devoting time to educating them rather than handing out handsome allowances, which after all simply increases the capability of their children to afford the illicit substances.

Beijing has set a good example. We hope more areas follow suit, in this world where the substances are becoming increasingly accessible.

(China Daily December 8, 2004)