TEENS READY TO RUN RISKS OF DRUG USE

Teenagers are not deterred from drug taking by the risk of arrest,
according to a book published today. Alcohol is their most popular drug and
regular teenage drinkers are consuming more than ever before, according to
the survey.

By the age of 18, according to the report, around three out of 10 are
regular illegal drug users and twice as many have tried illegal drugs. The
survey found that most teenagers made rational decisions on drug use on a
"cost benefit" assessment, and were aware of the medical risks.

The book, Illegal Leisure, is an account of research over five years which
started with a group of 700 14-year-olds at eight schools in the North-west
of England. More than 500 stayed with the survey, which is the longest
study of its kind in this country.

"We live in a society where recreational drug use is becoming normalised,"
said Fiona Measham, one of the study's authors. "There is a blurring
between the illegal like cannabis and the legal like alcohol and tobacco."

Fellow author Judith Aldridge, said: "Most (teenagers) are careful and
rational consumers, who plan their drug use to occur with friends and in
places they feel safe and secure. They often report feeling relaxed,
friendly, happy, carefree and confident. These good experiences many times
outweigh the bad, especially for drugs like cannabis, amphetamines and
ecstasy."

The book notes that the risk of being arrested, fined or jailed is not a
major deterrent. "The illegality of drug use is... rarely perceived as a
key risk factor. This, interestingly, is despite the fact that, in 1996,
40,000 people were cautioned for cannabis possession in England and Wales,
compared with 4,000 in 1986."

Alcohol, says the report, is usually the first and the most widely used
psychoactive drug tried by young people. Around 42 per cent nominated it or
tobacco as their "favourite drug". One boy, asked to name his favourite
drug, said: "Alcohol. Saying that, I'm not addicted to alcohol like I'm
addicted to cigarettes. I really enjoy going out and getting legless
because it's so social and you can have a good time."

>From the age of 14, six out of 10 of those surveyed forgot things after
drinking. About a third were worried about a sexual experience when drunk.

One girl said: "You know when you're out and that and you're bladdered and
you think 'oh, that person's gorgeous', and then you come home and you
don't remember a thing. And then when you're out the next week people say
'that's the fella you got off with', and you're just like 'oh, I never'."

The small minority who had never had a drink by the age of 16 gave
religion, mainly Islam, as a main reason not to indulge.

Howard Parker of Manchester University, who led the study, said: "Young
people make and remake decisions about drugs from when they reach secondary
school right through adolescence and into their twenties... Even so we find
young people who have said no to drugs right through their schooldays only
to take their first E (ecstasy) in a nightclub during their first term at
university."

The authors are critical of government strategy on drugs. "The important
public policy issues - about how we deal with otherwise law-abiding young
citizens caught with drugs in their possession, and about how we ensure the
health and safety of young people who use drugs - remain unresolved."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski