ENGLAND'S TEENAGERS LEAD IN DRUG ABUSE

DRUG misuse among teenagers is worse in England and Wales than any other
part of the European Union, according to a new survey.

The use of cannabis and LSD is almost ten times as high as in Portugal and
Finland, while solvent abuse, which is unheard of in Austria and Portugal,
is practised by one fifth of 15-to-16-year-olds in England and Wales.

Amphetamines are tried by 13 per cent in England and Wales, compared with
less than 8 per cent in The Netherlands and less than 4 per cent anywhere
else in the EU. Ireland has the most Ecstasy-users in the 15-16 age group,
followed by England and Wales and The Netherlands.

The European Commission report, The State of Young People's Health, said
the number of deaths related to drugs was increasing in the UK, Ireland,
Austria, Denmark, Greece and Sweden, but falling in Germany, France and
Belgium.

Cannabis was the most common drug; solvents were the second most abused.
Twenty per cent of 15-year-olds were daily cigarette smokers, and regular
alcohol consumption was starting at around 15.