Which help can a school refer pupils to?

A school cannot itself provide help with cannabis use. It can, however, refer pupils to the Sucht & Drogen Hotline, to drugcom.de, to addiction counselling services listed in the DHS addiction-help directory, to school social work and to the Jugendamt (youth welfare office). Teaching staff, school social workers and counselling teachers often know which services work in the region. What matters is that help is quickly reachable and that the young person feels taken seriously.

The Sucht und Drogen Hotline

The Sucht und Drogen Hotline can be reached on 01806 313031. It is a first point of contact for questions about addiction and drugs. You will find further information on the hotline's website. According to the website, the hotline is aimed at people with addiction problems and at relatives, friends and colleagues; the conversation is anonymous. Schools can display the number in information material and at the school office.

Online offers for young people

drugcom.de offers factual information on cannabis and questions of use. It has encyclopaedia articles, a cannabis check and further guidance. For pupils this is a low-threshold start, because they can find information without an appointment. A self-test can prompt reflection on one's own use. Counselling remains the place for an assessment. Anyone who wants to know how dependence is recognised will find the article How can you tell for yourself whether you are dependent?.

Addiction counselling on the ground

Addiction counselling services are specialist bodies that place questions of use in context and hold conversations. You can find counselling services nearby in the DHS addiction-help directory (Suchthilfeverzeichnis), which can be filtered by federal state, postcode or place and radius. School social work or the Jugendamt can also be asked. Anyone seeking help for themselves will find an overview of the route in the article How do I find addiction counselling near me?. The young person should be involved in choosing the service and the appointment.

The role of youth welfare

If family and school cannot make progress alone, the Jugendamt (youth welfare office) can advise families and organise further help. The article How do schools and youth welfare work together on cannabis? describes the cooperation in detail. It is important that everyone involved knows who takes which part.

Preparing within the staff

Before a case arises, the school should clarify internally who takes on referrals. This can be school social work, the counselling teacher or a fixed teacher responsible for health topics. A short list of contact details for services in the region is important. It should be kept up to date and visible in the staffroom, so that nobody has to search in an emergency.

It is also worth looking together at what the school can do itself and what belongs to specialist services. A school accompanies pupils in their daily lives. Addiction therapy belongs in the hands of specialists. This distinction makes it easier to pass help on to the right place in good time. Anyone who has discussed this in the team reacts more calmly when a case arises.

What the school can concretely do

1. Name a fixed contact person for cannabis questions and make them known among the staff.
2. Include the hotline number and the online offers in information material.
3. Establish contact with an addiction counselling service and inform the parents.
4. Ask after a few weeks whether the help was taken up.
5. Document the case so that it can later be traced what was agreed.

Accepting help is difficult

Some young people hesitate to accept help, for example because they fear consequences. The school should therefore make clear that the aim is support, with punishment being only one part of the picture. At the same time, it must name limits. These include the ban on public consumption in schools and within sight of them (section 5(2) no. 1 of the Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG)). Limits and help can be addressed in the same conversation.

Prevention as part of help

Help often begins before the problem. Schools can offer information about risks. According to cannabispraevention.de, the risks for young people are particularly high. Drugcom reports brain changes associated with starting use before the age of 18. According to drugcom, it has not yet been conclusively established whether the adolescent brain recovers. Such findings should be presented soberly and with their source, without dramatising.

Where to go next

For teachers and parents, the best entry point is the topic page Prevention and youth protection. For young people themselves, the hotline or addiction counselling is the right route if use is causing concern. Anyone unsure what the next step looks like should first discuss it in the team and then seek specialist advice.