Many of the programs have involved monitoring and research, the results of which have been made available to schools in order to help them raise program standards. However, in many schools, both policies and practices need to be improved. The statutory requirement for drug education is set out in the Science in the National Curriculum Act of 1995 that requires students to be taught about the role of drugs as medicines and the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs, including tobacco. Drug education should start an early age in primary school. Students should be taught how to resist peer pressure and how to raise self-esteem, and drug education should exist within a broad framework of health and social education. England's Drug Prevention Initiative, a 10-year program covering the 1990-1999 period, is described, and school drug education policies and practices are examined. 29 references and 2 notes