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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Younger generation says yes to cannabis and no to religion
Jason Allardyce, Political Editor Scotland on Sunday
Sunday 03 Mar 2002 SIX out of 10 young Scots have admitted using cannabis in defiance of the government's advice to "say no" to drugs. Three-quarters of the 18 to 24 age group also want the drug to be legalised, a major new social survey to be published this week reveals. According to the survey, illegal drugs are widely available, with eight out of 10 young Scots saying that friends or relatives now use them, leading to widespread acceptance. But the younger generation has not yet adopted a completely tolerant approach to drugs. Nine out of 10 still insist that ecstasy and heroin should remain illegal. The findings are contained in the third annual Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, widely regarded as a key indicator of the nation's 'moral' climate, which examined views on politics, religion and class, as well as drugs. It shows that the generation gap between young Scots and older age groups appears to be widening, not only over drugs but also over the great moral issues of the past century - homosexuality, politics and class. The survey involved interviews with 1,600 Scots in the three age groups. On drugs, it found that the number of 18 to 24-year-olds using cannabis is 8% higher than in the 25 to 34 age bracket, and almost four times as high as among adults aged 35 and above (17%). More respondents, 75%, also wanted the drug legalised. Anti-drugs campaigners said the survey proved the government's anti- drugs message had failed. "These figures demonstrate clearly that the message is not getting through in Scotland," said the children's charity Barnardo's. "The reality for today's young people is that they are regularly having to choose or refuse drugs." John McKie, the former editor of teen magazines Smash Hits and Q, said he was not surprised that so many young people were using cannabis when the drug had become so widepread. "You have half the shadow cabinet saying they have smoked cannabis, so it is not surprising that Scotland's youth are also doing so," he said. "There is no longer a massive stigma about it." On religion, the survey holds out little comfort for church leaders either, because it shows a rapid decline in interest and an upsurge in atheism. Some 57% of 18 to 24-year-olds did not belong to a religion - almost twice as many as those aged 35 and above. A key factor appears to be that their parents did not make an effort to take them to church. Today only 10% attend church every week, with 66% stating that they never or rarely go. More than one in three young Scots (35%) do not believe in God - twice as many as for older adults. McKie said parents were to blame. "In the 1980s, money was the defining creed and materialistic parents are seeing that coming home to roost. It was easier to get rich quick than be the best you could be." But Brian Monteith, the Tory education spokesman, said churches were failing to spark interest in organised religion. "Churches fail to engage with young people because they fail to believe in themselves," Monteith said. "You have bishops who doubt God exists and ministers who say religious education should not be taught in schools. Is it any wonder young people are not attracted to organised religion?" Alison Park, of the National Centre for Social Research which undertook the research, said the decline of such an opinion-shaping moral force was bound to have had a knock-on effect on how young Scots felt about other issues. Clear distinctions that once applied on issues such as sex were blurred, she said. Nine out of 10 young people now said pre-marital sex, a taboo for previous generations, was "not wrong at all", compared with 57% in the 35-plus age bracket. Similarly, the younger generation was relaxed about gay sex, with 60% saying it was "not wrong" - three times the level of the 35-plus generation. Analysts attribute this moral shift to a climate in which young people now feel comfortable discussing sexuality. Storylines involving gay characters are a routine feature of TV soaps and liberal laws, including the repeal of Section 28, which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools, have made the issue more openly discussed within the school environment. The survey also paints a bleak picture for the future of politics, with less than half the 18 to 24 age group admitting to having an interest. Only 20% support a political party, compared to 49% who do so from the age of 35 and above. Britain's class system is coming under growing threat too, according to the survey. In Scotland, while 15% of young Scots consider themselves middle class and 18% working class, the vast majority - 67% - say they do not think of themselves as belonging to any particular class. Park said that overall, the findings revealed a disconnected generation. "They are quite clearly detached from a lot of the traditional groups that bind people in society," she said.
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