Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:


After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.

UK: Parents To Blame As Teens Top Drink And Drugs League

Sky News

Tuesday 20 Feb 2001

---
Parents setting a bad example and shopkeepers all too readily selling booze
to underage youngsters are being blamed the UK's children finishing top of
the European drink and drug charts.
A survey by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs
found that nearly 40 per cent of UK teenagers had admitted taking illegal
drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy.
Britain finished just ahead of France, the Czech Republic and Ireland but
countries such as Sweden, Finland and Malta demonstrated a low level of usage.

Teenagers in the UK also topped the drinking league just ahead of the likes
of Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Finland.
Sociologist Dr Martin Plant, who co-ordinated the British part of the
survey, said: "Part of the explanation is also that British families are
setting a bad example to their children. If they grow up watching their
parents drinking and smoking they are likely to copy.
"If the Government want to crack down on drugs dealers it should be looking
at the shopkeepers who are selling drink and cigarettes to the children."

The survey of 15 and 16-year-olds in 223 British schools revealed that 36
per cent had tried drugs the highest number of the 30 European countries
that took part in the research.
UK teenagers are also more likely to light-up. Up to 20 per cent of
teenagers questioned said they smoked daily, with girls more likely to than
boys.
Prime Minister Tony Blair is reported to want to introduce special courts
to deal with drug addicts.

Dr Plant said: "Thirty-six per cent of teenagers in the UK have admitted to
taking illegal drugs at some stage. But I would like to see a sensible
approach to this because it is the legal drugs such as cigarettes and
alcohol which lead to the most deaths and illnesses with young people in
this country."
A World Health Organisation report on Monday said that one in eight deaths
of men aged 15-29 in the UK is caused by alcohol abuse.
A new type of drug test which involves taking a saliva swab rather than a
urine sample will be piloted in Stafford, Nottingham, and Hackney, east
London, Home Secretary Jack Straw has said. The kits will be used to
monitor whether offenders are abusing drugs.


 

 

 

After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back. 




This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.

Feel free to link to this page!