Giving Compass' Take:

· A recent study reported by BBC News from the National Union of Students shows that two out of every five students are using drugs.

· How can schools prevent students' drug usage?

· Learn more about students using recreational drugs and how drug-free school zones backfired.

About two in five students are drug users, says a study from the National Union of Students. But the students' union argues that students should not be disciplined for "drug-related behaviour that does not constitute a criminal offence". A formal warning was the most common disciplinary action taken by universities over drug use.

The NUS report found drug use to be "a common, although infrequent, behaviour" - with 39% of students using drugs, and cannabis by far the most widely used. A further 17% had used drugs before, meaning 56% in total had at some time tried them.

Instead of calling the police or imposing punishments for drug-related incidents, the report says students should be given advice and health education. "Policy responses that focus solely on disciplining students fail to recognise the complex reasons that lead people to use drugs," says the NUS report.

It says there were more than 2,000 incidents last year of "student misconduct for possession of drugs", recorded by universities.

Read the full article about student drug use by Sean Coughlan at BBC News.