WHO FINDS SHARP RISE EUROPEAN TEEN DRUG ABUSE

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs by schoolchildren
aged 15-16 has increased sharply in many European countries in the last
five years, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report obtained
by Reuters Tuesday.

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), due
to be published later Tuesday, found that illicit drug use rose in almost
all the 30 European countries surveyed, but fell in Britain and Ireland.

Still, Britons remained Europe's worst teenage drug users, with 36 percent
of 15 and 16 year old girls having dabbled in one drug or other by 1999.
That compares to 42 percent in 1995.

Irish drug use also dropped sharply to 32 percent in 1999 from 37 percent,
while the Czech Republic overtook Ireland, moving into second place as its
proportion of children who had tried drugs rocketed to 35 percent from 23
percent.

A large increase in the number of children who had used cannabis was the
main reason for the Czech rise, the study said. Cannabis use also jumped in
Poland, making Polish teenagers Europe's equal biggest marijuana smokers
alongside Britons.

Especially worrying was an increase in binge drinking, especially in
Britain, Denmark, Ireland and Poland, the study said. More than 30 percent
of schoolchildren in those countries reported binge drinking -- defined as
five drinks in a row -- three or more times in the last month.

Officials said binge drinking was a particular problem because even if
overall drinking fell, children were at particular risk when very drunk to
dangers such as alcohol poisoning, accidents and unwanted sex.

``Both alcohol and illicit drug use have increased markedly in many ESPAD
countries, especially in the central and eastern parts of Europe,'' the
report said.

``However, the high prevalence countries are still mainly to be found in
the western parts.''

Tobacco smoking was well established by the mid-teens in most countries and
showed few signs of diminishing since the previous ESPAD survey in 1995,
the study said.

As in 1995, the 1999 ESPAD study collected questionnaire data from children
aged 15 to 16 from nationally representative samples of classes.

Students answered the questionnaires anonymously in test conditions. Most
sample sizes, except in small countries, were close to or above the
recommended number of 2,400, the study said.