DRUGS IN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS

COLIN is in the middle of taking his GCSEs at a comprehensive school in the
North of England. He is clean-cut and plays in the school football team. He
also smokes cannabis every day.

"I had my first spliff when I was eight," he says. "One of my mates offered
it to me and I thought, 'Why not?'

I smoke it every day if I can afford it. I enjoy it - it doesn't affect my
work or my football, and I really can't see what the problem is."

As we talk outside his school in Stockport, 10 of his friends gather round
to listen and pitch in. All except one admit to taking some form of illegal
drug, though the most popular is cannabis.

"Cannabis is something I would say most of the people our age do," says
Colin. "It seems perfectly normal."

Despite evidence that heroin use is on the increase among people between
the ages of 16 and 25, neither Colin nor his friends have ever been offered
a "wrap of brown".

"You don't get it round here," he says. "And I wouldn't touch it, anyway.
But you can get anything else - it's easy.

"Most of us started off sniffing solvents when we were much younger. It's a
real child's thing, but everyone had a go. Since then, we've tried all
sorts of drugs, including ecstasy, LSD and speed - and one of my mates has
taken crack. I tried ecstasy once. I didn't like it at all - it was a waste
of money as far as I was concerned. I would try cocaine if I could, but
none of us can afford it."

For this group, many of whom began experimenting with drugs at the age of
12, the idea that smoking cannabis leads to "hard" drugs is a myth. "Look
at us: we have tried all sorts but the only drug we use now is cannabis.

"The thing is, even though you get taught all about drugs in school and
they tell you not to try, it doesn't make any difference. You do it anyway,
and then you learn what you like and what you don't."