Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate teachers' attitudes towards medicines and to determine what they are willing to teach children about medicines. This study is part of a larger project where medicine education materials accessible on the internet (www.uku.filaakekasvatus, in Finnish with English introduction) were designed, developed, and evaluated. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from a convenience sample of primary (n=11) and junior secondary (n=3) schoolteachers who attended three focus group discussions (FGDs). Before the FGDs, the teachers had taught three medicine education sessions based on medicine education curriculum materials to their own classes. Findings: Three different types of teachers were found: empowering (n=6), paternalistic (n=6), and material evaluating (n=2). An empowering teacher was ready to facilitate the empowerment of children as medicine users. A paternalistic teacher wanted to teach children the dangers of medicines and also the importance of a healthful lifestyle. The material evaluating type of teacher commented mainly on the usefulness of the medicine education materials without expressing any attitude towards medicines. Research limitations/implications: Because of the small number of teachers participating in this study, it may be regarded as a pilot study that generated a hypothesis. Results need to be verified with a larger sample of teachers and with quantitative research methods before generalizations can be made. Originality/value: This study suggests a need to educate teachers about what medicine education is and how it could be taught with an empowering approach. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)