As more young people use illegal drugs than ever before, ‘new’ drugs become worryingly readily available. Prosecutions amongst young people for supplying Class A drugs is indicative of a rise in child criminal exploitation such as ‘county lines’. At the same time, more young people are turning to social media for information, where screening of content is negligible and platforms are infiltrated by drug dealers. Where a young person is involved in a drug-related incident, non-statutory guidance advises that they should have early access to support and that exclusions should be treated as a last resort, so as not to erode trust in authority figures, leading to increased likelihood of drug use or exploitation, and the damaging impact on life chances. These developments urgently demand high-quality drugs education for young people and and their educators -our drugs misuse training for professionals is designed to provide a foundation of knowledge around young people who misuse substances to help safeguard them effectively.