These days the message has become more measured - young people need to be armed with the facts so they can make up their own minds.
Last year Base 10, a young people's drugs project in Leeds, managed to inform 4,000 people of the basic truths about drugs. The voluntary sector project, run by the charity Turning Point, also supported another 500 young people for whom drugs are already part of growing up.
Take 18-year-old Teresa (not her real name). Both her parents have been using heroin since she was three years old and her mother is also an alcoholic.
"I had professionals and teachers tell me that I would 'turn out a smack head' just like my mum and dad," says Teresa. "You have to live two lives - when you are with people who know what's happening, then you can really talk. Base 10 gives you someone to confide in when you have that big weight on your shoulders - we know we can trust the staff here."
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