Which prevention concept suits a school?

A suitable prevention concept for a school starts with the question of which goals the school wants to reach and who is responsible for them. No concept fits every school equally well. The deciding factors are the type of school, the age of the learners, the contact persons available and past experience with incidents. A good concept describes these points in writing so that everyone involved knows what to follow.

What a concept should achieve

A concept should clarify three things: what is permitted at the school, how the school informs about cannabis, and what happens when something occurs. This clarity protects students, because they can see which rules apply. It also protects the teaching staff, who do not have to improvise in an emergency.

Legally, public consumption of cannabis at schools and within sight of them is prohibited under § 5 para. 2 no. 1 of the Cannabis Act (KCanG). Under § 5 para. 1 KCanG, consumption is also prohibited in the immediate presence of persons under 18. The BIÖG points out to schools that their house rules may need to be supplemented with a cannabis consumption ban. What this means for lessons is explained in the article What does the KCanG regulate on youth protection?.

The main building blocks

A concept consists of several building blocks. The table below shows which question each block answers and who is ideally responsible for it.

Building block	Guiding question	Typical responsibility
Rules	What is allowed at the school and what is not?	School management with the teaching staff
Information	Which content reaches learners in an age-appropriate way?	Specialists and school counsellors
Parents	How are parents involved?	School management and parent representatives
Incidents	Which steps follow a discovery?	School management and school social work
Training	Who has expertise on the topic?	Teaching staff with external support

These building blocks interlock. A rule without information remains unexplained, and information without a clear rule leaves open what applies. Anyone drafting a concept should therefore consider all the building blocks together.

Single actions and the whole-school concept

Many schools carry out individual actions, such as a talk or a project day. Such offers can provide useful impulses. A concept, however, demands more: the action must link to existing rules, and teachers must know how to respond to questions. Without this integration, teachers are left alone when students ask follow-up questions.

A whole-school concept can be built in stages. First the rules are clarified, then information and training follow, and work with parents comes last. This order is a suggestion. The school decides which steps come first.

Finding materials and support

Classroom materials can be found on the website of the Federal Institute for Public Health at cannabispraevention.de. It offers resources for young people, parents and specialists. For schools, the BIÖG lists funded programmes such as the „Grünen Koffer“ (nine interactive methods, available on loan through the regional addiction prevention centres), „Cannabis Kompakt“ (three 90-minute teaching units) and „Escape Cannabis“. According to the BIÖG, these programmes are quality-tested, evaluated and generally free of charge. The teaching staff should decide together which material suits a year group. An overview of training courses for teachers is provided in the article Are there training courses for teachers on cannabis?.

Steps for introduction

1. Record the current situation: which rules already exist, and which incidents have occurred in recent years?
2. Appoint a person to coordinate the concept.
3. Formulate rules together with learners and parents and record them in writing.
4. Set out procedures for incidents, with clear contact persons and deadlines.
5. Review and adjust the concept after one school year.

How a school develops consistent rules is described in the article How does a school develop a consistent rule?. The article How do you word school rules on cannabis? is also helpful for formulating school rules.

Typical pitfalls

A common pitfall is a concept that exists only on paper. It looks sound until an incident occurs in everyday school life and nobody knows who decides. For this reason, every rule should have a contact person and a fixed procedure.

A second pitfall is the expectation of quick results. A concept cannot be completed in one step. If no change is visible after a year, the school should check whether the measures suit the target group and whether the teaching staff were involved.

Anyone developing a concept should also involve the learners. On cannabispraevention.de, the BIÖG describes an objective and differentiated approach to young people as important. Feedback from learners shows whether rules and materials are understandable.

Where to go next

A prevention concept is a task that takes time. Schools looking for support can contact school social work or a local addiction counselling service. The counselling service knows the regional offers and can help with setting up the concept. Whether a concept holds up in daily practice is shown by regular review with the teaching staff.