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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Know your E from your H
Joan McFadden The Herald, Glasgow
Monday 19 Jan 2004 If you imagine there to be a drug-pusher on every corner, waiting to pounce, you might be relieved to know that very few teenagers take Class-A drugs. Even those who do try illegal drugs are rather unlikely to become regular users in later life. Three out of four teenagers are offered cannabis, but only half of these will try it, and only 4% of those people who try go on to abuse hard drugs. ALCOHOL The drug most likely to lure children into its grasp is the one taken by most parents. Alcohol has become the drug most widely used by young people in Scotland, with almost a quarter of 16 to 24-year-olds drinking more than the recommended maximum limits. The Health Education Board for Scotland aims to reduce the number of 12 to 15-year-olds drinking from 20% to 18% between by next year, and to 16% by 2010. While many parents would sooner their children familiarise themselves with the drug, in order to become sensible drinkers, it is worth noting that young people's bodies react to alcohol in a different way to the grown-up hardened, or even moderate drinker. Teenagers' bodies process alcohol more slowly, hence they at first feel the alcohol is having no impact, and quickly drink more. Their drunken behaviour then lasts longer because of the greater quantity of alcohol consumed, so there is a greater risk of suffering alcohol poisoning than for adults. TOBACCO Education drives, trendy TV adverts, and warnings on cigarette packets that can be read from a distance of several metres, have ensured teenagers are more aware of the dangers of smoking than ever before. Thankfully, they are acting on it. The number of boys in Scotland taking up smoking has almost halved in the past six years, according to research published earlier in the year that was carried out by Scottish Schools Adolescent Substance Use and Lifestyle Survey. The drop in number of girls taking up smoking also bucked the UK trend. The changes are attributed to the high-profile campaigns, particularly the Health Education Board for Scotland anti-tobacco television advert, aimed at girl smokers, featuring a mock band called Stinx. The Stinx song Why Do You Keep On Running Boy?, a Britney Spears Hit Me Baby One More Time sound-a-like, was so popular it was released as a single. It has long been a concern that girls are more likely to take up smoking. While smoking rates among 15-year-old boys dropped from 30% in 1996 to 16% in 2002, the number of 15-year-olds girls taking up the habit fell from 30% to 24% over the same period. The majority of teen smokers will con-tinue to smoke as adults. It is of some reassurance that almost three-quarters of regular smokers at 15, who have been smoking for more than a year, want to quit. Of the 500,000 calls received in the past 10 years by Smokeline (the helpine for those who want to give up the habit) about half of the calls have been from teenagers. ECSTASY Ecstasy is more the concern of the young professional club-goer than it is of the teenager. Only 2% of 16 to 24-year-olds use ecstacy compared to 13% of 25 to 34-year olds, according to the most recent figures. The drug affects users by giving them a feeling of alertness, which wears off after about six hours. It is a Class-A drug, sold in tablet form. It is most commonly known as E with a chemical name MDMA and is used by 500,000 people every week. There is disagreement about its long-term side effects, although current thinking has linked it with depression, personality change and memory loss, and possibly liver damage. Short-term effects can include anxiety, panic attacks, first-time epileptic fits and paranoia. The potentially fatal combination of dehydration and rising body temperature has been well documented. Since 1996, there have been more than 200 ecstasy-related deaths in the UK. Although not physically addictive, a tolerance can build up which results in the need to take more to achieve the same result, thus psychological dependence is common. CANNABIS Most of the known effects of cannabis are connected to smoking, although not all cannabis users roll their cannabis in a joint. It can be smoked in a pipe or eaten in food. A recent study by the British Lung Foundation found three cannabis joints a day cause the same damage as 20 cigarettes. It is thought that, because cannabis smokers inhale for longer periods and the drug contains high levels of carcinogens, the risks of developing cancer are greater. Cannabis plants and resin are Class-B drugs, although on January 29 this will be downgraded to Class C. COCAINE Users among teens tend to be among the most affluent, and is thought to have become slightly more common because of a decrease in its cost. Originating from the coca plant, cocaine also known as coke, Charlie, snow, crack and rocks is another Class-A drug. While its buzz may last just more than 30 minutes, the long-term problems it creates can include a psychosis similar to schizophrenia and it is linked to heart problems. Regular use can damage the inner tissue of the nose. HEROIN The Glasgow Centre for Drug Misuse Research recently estimated that as many as sixty 10-12-year-olds will have started to use this drug in Scotland. In the case of heroin there is a real risk of developing patterns of addictive use. There is a high risk of overdose and, when needles are shared, the contracting of HIV or other infections. There is also a serious risk of depressive effects on the heart and lungs, especially dangerous when combined with alcohol. Heroin is a Class-A drug and is otherwise known as smack, junk and scag. LSD It is thought the young people taking LSD the number of teenagers taking it is in decline. About 2% of 13-year-olds are thought to have use psychadelics, which includes LSD and magic mushrooms. Among 14 and 15-year-olds, more boys than girls are interested in such drugs. The latest figures show 7% of 14-year-old boys, and only 3% of 14-year-old girls had tried psychadelics. Among 15-year-olds, the figures do not rise considerably. The official name of Class-A LSD is lysergic acid diethylamide, but users will call it acid, or tabs, and refer to "tripping". The effects of swallowing a tab vary from person to person, but will last about 12 hours. The likelihood of dependence is small although the impact on the child or young person's mental health can be considerable as a result of the hallucinations, which can recur over a long period.
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