Source: Times, The (UK)



Pubdate: 2 January 1999





The Times (UK)

Saturday, 2 January 1999



ubject: Drug-taking Britain is 'worst in Europe' 



YOUNG Britons are much more likely to take drugs than

any of their European neighbours, with "soft" drugs

proving the most popular. 



A recent survey by the European Monitoring Centre for

Drugs found that 35 per cent of British teenagers regularly

took cannabis compared with 25.7 per cent in France and

21 per cent in Germany. 



The "recreational" drug Ecstasy has been tried by 9 per

cent of young Britons but by only 2.8 per cent of

Germans, 3.1 per cent of French and 1 per cent of

Swedes. 



For the past decade, schools and politicians have

struggled to find a successful approach to slow the

increase in the number of young people taking drugs.

Campaigners have divided between those arguing for a

tough, straightforward message that all drugs are

dangerous - typified by the "Just Say No" adverts - and

those arguing that children need to be given more

information to inform their decisions. 



Two years ago, the Government showed its commitment

to tackle the drugs problem when it ploughed UKP1.6 million

into a range of innovative educational projects. In

Bradford, local sports personalities worked with young

people to discuss issues surrounding drugs, while in

Newham, East London, a children's theatre group acted

out situations involving drugs. 



However, Britain has become aware that the drugs

education has so far not worked and that the problem is

escalating. Exactly one year ago, the Prime Minister

decided that the only way to co-ordinate drugs education

was by appointing a drugs strategy co-ordinator. On

January 4, 1998, Keith Hellawell took up the position

with a mission to draw up a detailed and clear drugs

education policy for schools. 



The British and American drugs co-ordinators are

responsible for organising national drug control policy and

have direct access to their heads of government. 



The American official, Barry McCaffrey, takes the same

hard line as his British counterpart in saying there should

be no distinction between hard and soft drugs. 



His spokesman, Bob Weiner, explained why yesterday.

Marijuana, he said, cannot be called soft when it is second

only to alcohol as a substance implicated in car crashes.

Similarly, marijuana disrupts productivity in schools and

the workplace. 



"Your drug czar is right in recognising the dangers of all

illegal substances," Mr Weiner said. The two men have

met and found themselves in agreement on this and many

other topics in their fight against drug use. 



In the official American view, those in favour of legalising

soft drugs always maintain that increased use is irrelevant.

According to Mr McCaffrey, a no-nonsense retired

general, it is the most important reason against legalisation.



According to his staff, the point was proved in Alaska,

which recriminalised marijuana after several years of

reducing it to the level of a parking ticket. The switch was

prompted by a surge in use and increases in traffic

accidents and overdose cases taken to hospital

emergency rooms, Mr Weiner said.