“Zero-tolerance” policies on drugs in universities can do more harm than good and stop students coming forward for help because they fear punishment, a new report suggests.

The debate paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) suggests that a more tolerant health-focused approach to drug-taking on campus would be more effective, with priority given to preventing harm caused by drug use rather than preventing drug use altogether.

The report says that, while “declarations of zero tolerance may reflect entirely understandable concerns, their effectiveness must surely be called into question”.

Not talking about it will not make it go away

“Just as with other challenging areas, such as sexual violence, not talking about it will not make it go away,” it adds.

The report argues that “institutional intolerance” of drug use could have the unintended consequence of students not coming forward for help because they fear being judged or sanctioned.

It says that helping students could include informing them about how to use drugs “more safely”, “however uncomfortable this may sound”, while also providing them with educational materials on how to reduce or stop their use of illegal drugs.

It adds that, while there may be wider support for encouraging students to come forward if they want to stop using drugs completely, “there is trickier territory for a number of us, which is supporting a current drug habit less unsafely”.

It argues that giving such support would also help students if they subsequently wanted to quit drugs altogether, as well as giving them a “safe space” to discuss mental health problems.

“Helping students in this way can potentially preserve health and save student lives: we would trade our feelings of discomfort for better mental health outcomes for our students,” it says.

If students aren’t asking for help in a life-threatening situation because they worry about punishment, then that’s a big problem

Drug use is also more prevalent among students identifying as LGBT or who are disabled, meaning that more punitive drug policies could affect “groups who are already more likely to be subject to a range of discriminations”, the paper says.

Arda Ozcubukcu, co-founder and director at NeuroSight and one of the authors of the report, said: “If students aren’t asking for help in a life-threatening situation because they worry about punishment, then that’s a big problem.

“We all want students to be safe. Harm reduction-based approaches can literally save lives. Tolerating drug use might feel uncomfortable but what matters is the outcomes,” she added.

“This is a complex problem which cannot be reduced to the presence or absence of drug use. Universities have the opportunity to bring the nuance needed to address this problem and set an example to other institutions.”

Graham Towl, professor of forensic psychology at Durham University and co-author of the report, said: “The higher education sector already seems to be moving away from the blunt instrument of ‘zero tolerance’ to a more evidence-informed approach in tackling our problem with illicit drug use among students.

“The tide is turning and we have an opportunity to make a difference in terms of securing better outcomes for students in need of help. Our work in this area will also more than likely save student lives too – what could be more important than that?”

Universities need a different conversation about drugs. We need to listen to students to understand and address harms and risks

Mike Barton, former chief constable of Durham Police, said: “The use of ‘zero tolerance’ is mystifying both in its prevalence and its futility. It results in a cruel lottery in terms of its impact on individual students and creates and fosters a wider encouragement of unsafe environments for those engaged in already risky practices.”

John de Pury, assistant director of policy at Universities UK, said: “Universities need a different conversation about drugs. We need to listen to students to understand and address harms and risks.

“Above all, we need an open and evidenced approach that has at its heart the safety and health of our university communities.

“I welcome this Hepi report and the clarity with which its authors put health outcomes first. It coincides with and informs UUK’s recently announced taskforce on student drug use.”

On Thursday, No 10 said the Government expected university students to abide by the laws surrounding drug use.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman was asked whether the Government agreed with Hepi’s paper that drugs policies could do more harm than good.

The spokesman said: “Certainly there are laws around drug use, which everyone must abide by, that has not and will not change.”