CANNABIS CAMPAIGN BRITISH YOUTH ARE 'BIGGEST USERS IN EUROPE'

BRITAIN'S 15yearolds are more likely to use cannabis than their European
counterparts, according to a study by the European School Survey Project on
Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD). British teenagers in the same age group
are also the second largest users of the dance drug Ecstasy, and of
amphetamine.

The research, carried out in 1995, is being compared by the Netherlands
Institute of Mental Health and Addiction the Trimbos Institute to a new
survey of the drugusing patterns of Dutch teenagers due next month.

Where 41 per cent of UK 15yearolds have used cannabis in their lifetime
and 24 per cent had used the drug in the previous month, 29 per cent of
Dutch 15yearolds had used cannabis in their lifetime, while 15 per cent
had used cannabis in the last month.

Inge Spruit, head of the Department of Addiction and Substance use at the
Trimbos Institute said the figures showed that the decriminalisation of
cannabis in the Netherlands had not led to more young people using cannabis
in Holland than in other countries. While, with regard to Ecstasy, "our
study shows policy cannot explain the lack of difference between our
countries".

Trimbos has been criticised in the past for "encouraging" the use of
Ecstasy through involvement in Amsterdam based schemes where the content
of tablets is examined by experts in clubs so Ecstasy users are aware of
whether pills contain MDMA, substances such as amphetamine or more toxic
chemicals.