-Caveat Lector- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001863356114602&rtmo=3qAKS8qM&atmo=99999999 &pg=/et/99/9/4/ndrug04.html ISSUE 1562 Saturday 4 September 1999 Drugs 'tried by a quarter of 13-year-olds' By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor Drugs are here to stay - so make them legal http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001863356114602&rtmo=qsJ9xtJ9&atmo=99999999 &pg=/et/99/9/4/ndrug104.html ONE in four 13-year-olds at schools taking part in a government-backed drugs survey had taken illegal substances, mostly cannabis, according to researchers. By the age of 15, more than half had tried at least one drug. The three-year study has so alarmed ministers that a survey of schools throughout England is to be conducted to see if the figures are the same elsewhere. It coincided with research showing that cocaine is replacing ecstasy as the fashionable drug among young people. Figures published yesterday showed a significant increase in the drug's use in the 16 to 29 age group. The school project covered 2,500 children aged 13 to 16 in a dozen secondary and middle schools in four towns in Northumbria and West Yorkshire. On average, the younger children were given £13 a week pocket money and the older childen £20, supplemented by earnings from part-time jobs. The survey showed that by the age of 13, 26 per cent of the children had tried at least one drug, rising to 51 per cent at 15 and 56 per cent at 16. Although cannabis and amphetamines were easily the most common drugs, there were also higher-than-expected rates of heroin use. More children were being exposed to drugs at a much earlier age than before. By 13, 40 per cent had been in situations where drugs were offered or available. These included solvents, "magic mushrooms", LSD and nitrites as well as cannabis. By the age of 16, 14 per cent of young people had been in situations where heroin was available or offered. In one area of Northumbria, 33 per cent of 13-year-olds had tried drugs. The research also found that children in one-parent households were more likely to use drugs. Officials said it was impossible to say whether the findings were nationally representative before the national survey later this year. Paul Wiles, director of the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate, said: "This should help to put the findings from Northumbria and West Yorkshire in better perspective. We know that drug use in the North of England could be especially high." The authors of the study say drug taking is no longer a minority pastime but involves millions of "ordinary" young people who are not from underprivileged backgrounds. The marked fall in the age at which drugs were being tried suggested regular drug use was likely in later life. Mike O'Brien, Home Office minister, said the figures showed the importance of informing young people about the dangers of drugs. But Andrew Lansley, Conservative spokesman, accused the Government of "complacency" and said there was no evidence of progress in cutting drug misuse by young people. A separate study based on the findings of the 1998 British Crime Survey showed that increasing numbers of young people were trying cocaine. Experts said that falling prices and cocaine's association with the wealthy and famous were helping fuel the boom. Fears over the safety of the "dance drug" ecstasy may also be responsible for the rise. However, the increase appears to be largely confined to London and Merseyside. A feared heroin epidemic among the young had not materialised. 29 August 1999: Taking cocaine linked to hepatitis 20 August 1999: Cannabis no more harmful than alcohol, says churchman 8 July 1999: Billionaire addict died eating cocaine 28 January 1999: Trade in illegal drugs 'worth up to £8.5bn a year' 28 April 1998: Drugs war must be won 'for sake of our children' 22 April 1998: British drug-user crime outstrips offences in US 19 September 1997: Study challenges myth of Britain's rising drug crisis 28 July 1997: Drugs part of many young teenagers' lives 9 May 1996: Drug taking has become 'teenage rite of passage' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001863356114602&rtmo=3qAKS8qM&atmo=99999999 &pg=/et/99/9/4/ndrug04.html Bard DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
