Edam-Volendam council in the province of North Holland is delivering free drugs test kits to 1,500 local families this week. Parents will be able to use the kits to test their children for drugs use. The council says the move is designed as a preventative measure.

The tests are meant to be used on young people between 15 and 19. Samples of saliva are taken to trace drugs including cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, opiates (heroin, morphine and codeine) and PCP (Angel Dust).

Councillor Gina Kroon-Sombroek thinks the test will give parents the opportunity to tackle their children on the highly charged subject of drugs:

“It’s first and foremost about prevention. Parents can say: ‘I’ve got that test, so you know you can be tested’. Our hope is that it’ll stop young people experimenting with drugs or, at least, keep them from using them.”

Drug use in Edam-Volendam has long been considered a problem locally. Various initiatives have been launched to deal with it, including a group called Moedige Moeders (Courageous Mothers). Tonnie Tol is a member of the group and is pleased with the council’s action. “It’s a straight way to deal with suspicions about kids’ drug use,” she says.

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