Talk to Frank Programme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Talk to Frank Programme - Essay Example The UK government, concerned about the rising illicit substance use, and its helplessness in combating it tried something novel in 2003. It launched an anti-drug campaign called ‘Talk to Frank’ which is a combination of drug related information and helpline for addicts and casual users. â€Å"The government says it is the first campaign aimed at parents and carers as well as teenagers.†Ã‚  The helpline, in fact can be used by anyone interested or concerned about drug usage by a relative or a friend. The campaign is implemented with the backing of the UK Home Office, the Department of Health, and minister of education. Critics say that the campaign only addresses use of class A drugs. The UK law has classified illicit drugs into three categories namely class A, B, and C. The Home Office has included the following drugs as coming under class A namely â€Å"Ecstasy, LSD, heroin, cocaine, crack, magic mushrooms, and amphetamines.† (Drugs).According to the Misus e of Drugs Act, the most harmful among the above classifications is included under class A. The Act proclaims that â€Å"These drugs are termed as controlled substances, and Class A drugs are those considered being the most harmful.† (Drug laws & licensing). The campaign is shown as advertisements on TV and the press and only says that a help-line is available along with a website called â€Å"talktofank.com.† In other words, the website and the helpline comprise the whole programme. The website appears a bit garish or even psychedelic. It can be said that the site is very unattractive visually and is badly designed. It has five main menus, namely ‘A-Z of drugs, Join In, Talk to Frank, Worried about someone, Need Help, and Share. It also clearly shows the helpline number on the top of the page. The Join In section enables the public to share their experiences with others. The section also provides information on how drugs alter the state of mind. A lot of importa nce is given to cannabis and cocaine, probably because of their dangers and widespread use. More links on how ‘ecstasy’ and ‘LSD’ affect the mind is also provided. As an example, an extract of the information the site gives on cocaine is given below. â€Å"Coke is very addictive. It can be difficult to resist the craving and strong psychological dependence due to changes in the brain. Recent evidence suggests possible long-term changes to the nervous system.