The National Institute for Health and Care Research has awarded nearly £1 million to two pioneering projects under the final phase of its Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances. This latest round of investment brings total funding across all three phases to almost £5 million, marking a significant national effort to understand and prevent recreational drug use among young people.
Delivered in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Joint Combating Drugs Unit, the fund supports interventions designed to reduce demand for recreational drugs, lower associated risks and dependency, and strengthen long‑term public health outcomes.
Both newly funded projects will deliver and evaluate tailored drug education programmes for young people in high‑risk and school settings.
Project 1: Realist Evaluation of Drug Education for 13–15-Year-Olds
This project focuses on improving drug education for 13–15-year-olds in deprived areas and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) – groups often at higher risk and commonly excluded from mainstream drug education provision.
The intervention uses the DSMF theatre‑in‑education model, which includes:
- a filmed play
- teacher training
- student workshops
- classroom lessons
Developed and evaluated successfully during earlier RDIS phases, the programme will now be tested and refined for young people in deprived areas in Scotland, as well as students in PRUs across London, who frequently receive limited or no drug education.
Researchers will assess how teaching materials should be adapted, how effectively the programme improves students’ knowledge and decision‑making, and how confidently teachers can deliver the content in these more challenging educational settings.
Project 2: Scaling Up The Illicit Project UK (TIP‑UK)
The second major award supports the expansion of TIP‑UK, an evidence‑based drug prevention programme adapted from Australia’s successful “Illicit Project”.
The intervention consists of three 35‑minute online sessions covering the effects of drugs on the brain, how to resist social pressures, as well as when and how to seek help.
Following a positive pilot phase, TIP‑UK will expand to at least 48 schools across North West England and Scotland. Participating schools will fall into one of three groups:
- 16 schools continuing standard drug education
- 16 schools delivering TIP‑UK
- 16 schools delivering TIP‑UK alongside extra teacher training from local drug support services
Evaluation will include surveys and interviews with students, teachers and drug professionals, as well as analysis of how TIP‑UK could become a long‑term prevention tool within local health and education systems.
Recreational drug use poses significant health and societal risks. Drug and alcohol deaths remain the leading cause of premature death among people under 50. In the year ending March 2025, 2.9 million adults aged 16–59 reported drug use, including 899,000 young people aged 16–24. While most stop before age 30, early use can carry long‑lasting consequences.
The RDIS Fund was created following Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs, which highlighted increasing recreational drug use and a lack of evidence on what actually works to prevent it.
National evidence shows the most effective programmes are:
- multi‑component, blending several approaches
- skill‑building, focusing on personal and social development
- delivered by trained professionals
- non‑judgemental, respecting young people’s autonomy
In contrast, “scare tactics” or information‑only lessons have limited value and can sometimes worsen outcomes.
Since 2022, the RDIS Innovation Fund has progressed through three phases:
- Phase 1: Early development and co‑design of new interventions
- Phase 2: Pilot testing, refinement and formal evaluation
- Phase 3: Real‑world implementation and large‑scale testing
Findings across the phases demonstrate the importance of teacher training, multi‑element programmes and approaches that support young people’s mental health and educational outcomes. The long‑term goal is to embed these evidence‑based interventions across education, health and community settings nationwide.
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