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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Scotland: Number of kids seeking cannabis treatment has trebled
Grampian TV
Wednesday 28 Jun 2006 The number of Scottish children seeking treatment for cannabis use has trebled in the last five years. Almost 400 received help last year - the youngest was just nine years old. The figures were highlighted today by the SNP who say they show the Government's policies on drugs are not working. When the Government downgraded cannabis from being a class B drug to class C two years ago, critics claimed it would lead to an increase in it's use. Some say these new figures provide the hard evidence that they were right. Five years ago, almost 130 children aged under 16 received treatment for cannabis use. Last year, the total had trebled. The SNP say the youngest child to get treatment was just nine years old. SNP Deputy Justice Spokesman Stewart Stevenson said: "More children in re-hab is good news but this reveals for the first time the true scale of addiction amongst youngsters and highlights the serious problem that Scotland is facing". Both the SNP and the Conservatives say cannabis should not have been downgraded. Leader of the Scottish Conservative party Annabel Goldie said: "This explosion in numbers coincides with the declassification of cannabis by Tony Blair and his Parliament at Westminister, which the Conservative party maintains was the wrong thing to do. I think this demonstrates that it has had a very undesirable effect". Agenices which work with drug addicts says the number of children actually taking cannabis has remained stable. David Liddell of the Scottish Drugs Forum said: "We're actually quite exasperated at how the figures have been distorted. The reality is that these figures show young people attending services. What we see clearly is that where the figures are at their highest is where we've actually got services for young people". The Executive said today that it is taking cannabis use extremely seriously - a new leaflet for children is highlighting the risks associated with it's use. In a separate development, a study has revealed that one in eight babies born at this Scottish hospital had illegal drugs in their systems. The research was carried out five years ago at the old Rottenrow Hospital in Glasgow. The most prevalent drug was cannabis. http://northtonight.grampiantv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s1_1_1&newsid=9343
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