TEENAGERS 'ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH COCAINE'

A STUDY has found that 7.5 per cent of young people have used cocaine
at least once by the age of 16.

The survey by Queen's University, gathered the views of 4,000
teenagers in 43 schools across the Province, who have all taken part
in the annual study since entering post-primary education.

While the findings will be worrying for parents, Dr Patrick
McCrystal, of the Institute of Child Care research at the university,
insists that experimenting with drugs is very different to becoming addicted.

A small number of those who took part in the survey told us they had
tried cocaine at least once. Of those who had taken cocaine, only one
in 10 used it on a weekly basis," he said.

"This indicates that while some teenagers have experimented with the
drug, few continue to use it regularly."

The report shows that young people are able to get hold of cocaine
for their own personal use with increasing ease.

Older friends were the most popular source for obtaining the drug,
followed by a dealer and friends of the same age.

"When we began this study, outside in the street or at a party were
the most popular places for taking cocaine," Dr McCrystal said. "By
the end of the study period, the most common place was at a friend's
house, where just under half of those who had taken cocaine reported doing so."

Dr McCrystal added that whereas cocaine use was previously associated
with high-flying professionals, the findings show that children are
commonly exposed to illegal drugs.

"The study highlights the need for a well-planned strategy to monitor
trends of illicit drug use among young people, to help inform policy
to deal with its impact," he said.

"If the age of first use of cocaine is becoming younger, or the
levels of cocaine use are increasing, the number of users who are
likely to develop problems and place demands on drug treatment
centres will increase in the future.

"This is something that health, social care and education
policymakers should take note of."

One of the experts consulted in the report said yesterday that an
increase in usage had led to a rise in those becoming addicted to
illegal drugs and substance misuse.

Claire Armstrong, director of the Northern Ireland Community
Addiction Service (NICAS), said she had noted a 20 per cent rise in
young people visiting the centre for advice and treatment for cocaine
addiction.

"If you had said to parents five years ago that their children would
be sampling cocaine by their late teens, they would have been
horrified," she said.

"An increase in availability, a decrease in the price of drugs and a
shift in social attitudes has led to an increase in addictions. We
see it every day."

The Commissioner for Children and Young People Patricia Lewsley said:
"We need to act now to prevent these young people from becoming victims.

"I believe more information and improved education can help prevent
the scourge of drug abuse blighting young lives."