TEACHERS from high schools across East Lancashire are being trained to educate teenagers about drugs issues ahead of a £6million research project which starts in January.

They are taking part in 10 two-day courses as part of the Blueprint Research Programme, with further training planned for 2004 and 2005 to help them deliver the lessons during the next two years.

The lessons will enable the teachers to work with pupils, between the ages of 11 and 13 , and their parents to educate them about drug issues.

Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for education, County Councillor Alan Whittaker, said: "This is an exciting opportunity for schools in Lancashire to play their part in shaping the way drugs education is taught in the future.

"I'm thrilled that so many of our schools will be taking part and that pupils' families and parents will also have a chance to become involved in a project which could have a long-lasting impact nationally."

Researchers for the Blueprint programme will study the effect of classes run by the specially-trained teachers, involving nearly 5,000 pupils across Lancashire, Derby, Derbyshire and Cheshire.

They will then be able to see what approaches to drug education work best -- and find out the best way to tackle drug education in the future.

Schools taking part in the project in East Lancashire are Alder Grange High School in Rawtenstall, Mount Carmel RC High School in Accrington and Walton High School in Nelson.

St Augustine's RC High School in Billington and Albany High School in Chorley will act as comparison schools, so researchers can see how schools deal with drug education when they don't have the benefit of the new programme.

One of Blueprint's trainers, Lesley De Meza, said: "The training we are doing now is crucial in preparing the teachers for this kind of exciting classroom delivery."

Blueprint is a project being run by the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills.