Subj:  Ireland: Cannabis 'widely used in schools' warns health board



Date: Monday, 7 September 1998



Source:    The Irish Independent





Cannabis 'widely used in schools' warns health board



Cannabis is the most frequently abused drug in secondary schools in north

Dublin, according to an Eastern Health Board report.



The study, carried out in 1996, looked at 19 schools and surveyed pupils

aged 15 to 17.



It revealed that 68pc of boys and 56pc of girls had used drugs and

approximately one in ten were abusing by their 13th birthday.



There were higher rates for use among boys initially with 80pc of both

sexes having begun by the age of 15 years.



"While drug use was initially higher in mixed rather than single gender

schools, similar levels of drug use were found in both categories of

schools by the time the pupils reached 15 years of age", said the report.



Of the total students using drugs, 40pc first started using them in the

months of June and July. Customary users, those who took drugs when they

felt like it, tended to start abusing at a younger age and accounted for

60pc of the lifetime prevalence and experimental users 40pc.



For this latter group the most popular drug was ecstasy, followed by LSD

and amphetamines while for experimental users LSD was the most widely used

with ecstasy and amphetamines the second and third preferences.



Of those surveyed 70pc had smoked and 92pc drank alcohol. The study

suggested targeted programmes are needed in primary and secondary school

and as cannabis is widely used, special attention should be given to its

potential hazards, including psychological effects.



The post Easter term should be pinpointed to prepare young people for the

summer months during which drug taking is more likely to begin, said the

report. It also calls for confidential school based studies to be carried

out to monitor trends.