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Adolescents cannot be ‘inoculated’ against taking drugs and alcohol

Adolescents cannot be "inoculated" from risky behaviour such as taking drugs and drinking alcohol, a conference has heard.

Instead, teenagers must be supported and empowered to build their own capacity and to manage risks, said Dr Dermot Stokes, national coordinator of Youthreach, the education system for early school-leavers.

He was speaking at a conference to discuss the findings of a major piece of research, entitled Risk and Protection Factors for Substance Use Among Young People.

The study, commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, compared early school-leavers to school-attending students.