How do you talk to young people about their drug use?

'Our main question was, how do we make young people aware of the consequences of the use of synthetic drugs?' says Lisa Cazemier. She was one of a group of ten second-year students of the Social Legal Services programme who organised the High Hanze event on 13 June 2023. 'We started by sparring about what would be best ideas for the day,' she says. 'Together, we looked at what resources we could use to ensure that the day would be as successful as possible. What would attract peers? What is fun to do in terms of activities? As a group, we came up with all kinds of options and then determined what we thought would turn out best.' There was already an idea from students who had been working on it last year, but it hadn't quite been worked out yet. Lisa: 'We were given the assignment to continue working on it and turn it into a professional product. That became the High Hanze Day. First of all, we wondered what synthetic drugs actually are. We talked to experts, including Hanze-researchers, a police officer, a public prosecutor and people in our own environment. We found out that synthetic drugs are made in a lab, unlike cannabis, which grows naturally and doesn't require a lot of processing.'

Focus on environment, health and crime

Synthetic drugs such as XTC, speed or GHB are made in a lab and many chemicals are added. And that has consequences, for example for the environment, although, of course, that also applies to cannabis. For example, the sewage water in Groningen is full of cocaine and cannabis residue. When it comes to smoking, Groningen is the dubious champion, because nowhere in the Netherlands are so many cannabis residues found in the sewer as here. And in addition to the effects on the environment, there are also consequences for the health of the people who use it. Lisa: 'For this reason, we chose three aspects that we wanted to focus on in the project, namely environment, health and crime. Not everyone is aware of how these things play a role in the production of synthetic drugs. In criminal circles, for example, the drug runners find it increasingly normal that they have to deal with liquidations and violence. And it's good for all of us to think about that as well.'

Emma makes the moment

But how do you ensure that young people discuss this with experts and with each other? How do you start a conversation about drugs without being judgmental and without telling people what they should and shouldn’t do? 'We knew that we didn't just want to let experts and the police speak at the High Hanze event,' says Lisa. ‘We needed someone to lead the day, who could set the right tone. That was very important to us.' Several people were considered, and in the end the students chose Emma Wortelboer, known from Dutch tv-programme Spuiten en Slikken.

Lisa: 'Emma is always very open about drug use. For example, she made a documentary about MDMA, in which she tried to make a sustainable pill. Which, by the way, didn't work out, but she is very familiar with the subject and knows a lot about it. Because she also uses and shares her experiences about it very openly, young people do not see her as judgmental. And it worked out well, because she did a great job! On stage, she talked to experts, such as Hanze lecturer Eric Blaauw, whom she asked whether he had ever used drugs himself.' (The answer was: yes, he has smoked weed in the past. Although his parents didn't know about it.) Lisa: 'Students also had their say. It was clear they became more open during the afternoon and talked more easily about their own experiences. There was a relaxed atmosphere, you weren't told what to do. That's what we had hoped for, because we didn't want to impose anything. Although it shouldn't be too non-committal, of course. The vibe was, use substances wisely, but there are just some things you need to know.’

Visibility

In addition to a plenary session with Emma Wortelboer who talked to experts, students and people in the room, there was more to see and do during High Hanze. On the square there was an escape room in the form of a drug lab from which people had to get out of. There were also games and products such as T-shirts and there was a special edition of Hanze Mag with all kinds of articles about drugs, such as the experiences of users and an interview with a dealer. Some products, such as the escape room, came from previous editions of this project (in collaboration with the Public Prosecutor's Office), as did the games and the T-shirts. They were made at other schools where the project had also been running. But the posters and the blue barrels (used by criminals in the production of drugs) that were outside and in the hall were ideas of the Hanze students. The whole package ensured good visibility of the event. Lisa: 'We made a set-up for the communication material, but we didn't do everything ourselves. We had to outsource some things, you also learn that when organizing such an event. Although we did put up the posters ourselves.'

And did it work?

The aim of the project was to get students to talk about the consequences of drug use and to raise their awareness about drugs. Not only during the event, but also afterwards. Lisa: 'I've seen that this actually happened. People were more open and you could see that they were getting insights, like, we can just talk about this and it doesn't matter. And I also heard that they became aware of certain things. Many of them heard new things anyway and they wondered, what do I know about it exactly? Do I know enough, or do I need to learn more? Students became much freer on the subject, also with classmates. So you can say that the day went down well with the people for whom it was intended.'