DANGER DRUGS `GOING OUT OF FASHION' WITH KIDS

DRUG use among Scots schoolchildren has shown a significant decline.

But teenagers north of the Border still top the UK league table for using
illegal substances.

And worryingly, the number of kids taking heroin is on the increase in
Scotland.

Health experts have hailed the latest figures as a clear sign that the
anti-drug message is making an impact but have warned against complacency.

A study of young people aged 15 and 16 found the number using illicit drugs
ranging from cannabis to Ecstasy has fallen in the last four years.

The survey, carried out by the Alcohol and Health Research Centre at the
City Hospital in Edinburgh, found the number of Scots girls in the age group
who had tried illegal drugs had dropped from 50 per cent to 38 per cent
since 1995.

The number of boys who admitted experimenting had fallen from 60 per cent to
46 per cent, and killer drug Ecstasy has gone out of fashion with the number
of teenagers using it being halved between 1995 and 1999.

But heroin use rose from 1.6 per cent among girls to 5.4 per cent and with
boys from 2.5 to 6.1.

Research director Dr Martin Plant said the drop in drug use was "striking".