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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Poll Reveals UK Teens Drinking and Drug Habits
Reuters
Friday 28 Mar 2003 LONDON (Reuters Health) - Almost one in five British schoolchildren between the ages of 11 and 15 took drugs in the past year and one in ten are regular smokers, government statistics show. Cannabis was the most commonly used drug among nearly 10,000 children surveyed, with 13 percent of 11- to 15-year-olds saying they had used it in the past year. A closer analysis showed that 31 percent of 15-year-olds had used the drug. The poll also showed that one in 100 children aged 11 to 15 had taken heroin in the last year and the same number had taken cocaine. Overall, 18 percent of children had used drugs in the past year, a drop from 20 percent the previous year. A spokeswoman for the independent organization DrugScope said the number of children who admitted to using drugs showed how crucial it was for "non-hysterical" information and advice to be given to children about drugs, so they can make considered choices and talk to their parents about it. "Research shows that young people actually want to talk to their parents and teachers about drugs, but 'Just say no' doesn't work. It's really important to keep open those lines of communication," she told Reuters Health. The latest survey also showed that the proportion of children who smoked at least once a week was also stable at 10 percent, rising to 23 percent of 15-year-olds. The best way to tackle smoking in children is not with campaigns targeted to them specifically, but as a part of programs that also aim to help adults kick the habit, a spokeswoman for charity Action on Smoking and Health said. "If you get parents to quit smoking, that's the best possible signal they can give to their kids. That's more likely to have a stronger impact than just telling the children and saying 'It's not very good for you, I don't advise you starting,"' she said. The charity is optimistic that recent measures introduced by the government, including a tobacco advertising ban and specialist smoking prevention services, would start to pay off, she added. "I think that in the next few years that will begin to have an impact both on adult smoking and on children smoking," the spokeswoman said. The number of children who said they drank alcohol dropped slightly from 26 percent in 2001 to 24 percent last year, but the survey showed that the volume they consumed was going up. In 1990, the amount consumed weekly by children who said they drank was 5.3 units. By 1998 this had increased to 9.9 units and stood at 10.5 units last year. The survey was carried out by the National Center for Social Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research for the Department of Health.
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