Drug Education—A Problem in Moral Philosophy

During the development or assessment of drug education programs, many individuals insist on the avoidance of “moralizing.” The meaning of this term is not as obvious as it appears initially when philosophically analyzed. Although “preaching” will not contribute to a healthy educational situation, an awareness of moral principles, rules and values is a necessary criterion to rational thought processes. This becomes especially evident when one analyzes society's values concerning “hard” vs. “soft” drugs. This paper attempts to clarify these philosophical issues in a manner which can be put into practice in many types of drug education programs.