Eighteen percent. That's how many pupils in Dutch cluster 4 special education said they'd used cannabis in the past year. In practical education, the figure was 8%. Among pupils of the same age in mainstream secondary schools, it was 6%. The numbers come from a new Trimbos Institute report published on October 8. Researchers surveyed 2,520 young people aged 12 to 16. Quite a difference between classrooms.
The researchers also spoke to people working in schools. And the teachers had a problem of their own. Some of the materials used to teach pupils about drugs are simply too difficult. Other lessons don't really connect with what these young people are dealing with. Peer pressure is a concern. So are the more complicated issues some pupils face outside the classroom. The study looked at smoking, vaping, gaming and loneliness as well. Pupils in cluster 4 education reported feeling lonely more often. There's a lot more going on here than somebody trying a joint.
The figures don't tell you why a particular teenager uses cannabis. Nor do they say anything about every child attending these schools. What the interviews do reveal is a familiar frustration among teachers: having a lesson ready doesn't mean the message gets through. Especially when the material wasn't really made for the pupils sitting in front of them.
