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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Video aims anti-drugs message at teenagers
Welwyn and Hatfield Times
Wednesday 15 Mar 2006 A HARD-HITTING film aimed at putting youngsters off drugs was made by and stars a group of youths who had been in danger of becoming victims. The film tells the story of a group of young people taking cannabis before burgling a house. The video - Cos We Were Mash Up! - was launched by Hertfordshire Constabulary at Campus West in WGC last Tuesday. It tackles different issues including crime, health, relationships and the drugs culture and will be used as a teaching tool across the county. Police officers, aware of the growing problem of drugs, came up with the idea of singling out youngsters who were at risk to make the film. Speaking at the launch, one of the people involved, Louis Fernandes, 19, who was 16 when he helped make the film, said he hopes other teenagers would learn from it. "I think by seeing the video they can see that although having a good time with the drugs, the consequences are not great." The extent of the county's youth drugs problem was also highlighted at the video's launch. In 2005, 73 youngsters were reprimanded or charged with drug related offences, 263 adults were charged or cautioned and 572 class A and 1,035 cannabis seizures took place. Sergeant Lara Stevenson said: "That is just the recorded data. There's a lot more out there." She said that only the previous day Welwyn Hatfield's youth crime reduction officer had reported a year eight pupil with some cannabis, and her investigation led her to a year 11 pupil with much more. "It has spiralled out of control," Sgt Stevenson said. "We know it's under-reported. "It's not a true reflection of the problem we have got at the moment with young people and schools. http://www.whtimes.co.uk/
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