TEENAGE EARNERS AT DRUGS RISK

TEENS with larger disposable incomes are more likely to take drugs
than poorer peers, a study has found.

Commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs, it found
that school students with $21-$60 a week disposable income were 60
per cent more likely to have used drugs in the past year than those
with $20 or less.

Students with more than $60 spending money a week were almost twice
as likely to have used drugs than those with $20 or less.

Adolescent psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg urged parents to limit the
money they gave teenagers.

"We have known for a long time that children with a higher disposable
income are more likely to try drugs, including alcohol and tobacco,
simply because they can afford it," Dr Carr-Gregg said.

He said children should be given $1 pocket money a week for every
year of their age; so, $10 a week for a 10-year-old, and so on.

"Parents should give pocket money to children in three lots: one lot
to spend, one lot to save, and one lot to give to charity," he said.

Joe Tucci, of the Australian Childhood Foundation, agreed that $1
pocket money a week per year of age was about right.

"Once you have a framework, you can talk to children about what they
shouldn't spend their money on. For example, teenagers should not be
spending money on alcohol," he said.

The report also found indigenous students and below-average academic
performers were more likely to use drugs than their peers.

However, it warned random drug testing of students at school would be
ineffective and expensive, and could alienate students from teachers.
It said random saliva tests of 10 per cent of students three times a
year would cost $110 million, and urine tests would cost $91 million.

Annual saliva testing of all students would cost $355 million.

Council on Drugs executive Gino Vumbaca said drug testing was not
always effective and subjects could return false positives.

He also said testing could encourage drug-takers to switch to more
harmful substances that were harder to detect.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike's spokeswoman said the Government did
not support drug testing in schools. "All government schools in
Victoria are expected to provide drug education programs for all
students," she said.