DRUG USE BY AT-RISK TEENS CAUSES ALARM

Many teenagers in the school system of last resort are smoking
pot.

The high rates of drug abuse are among concerns about the alternative
education system that have prompted Education Minister Anne Tolley to
review its funding.

Alternative education is a last-ditch school system for long-term
truants and those with behaviour problems, aged 13 to 15, who have
become alienated from "mainstream" schooling and are excluded from
school. There are a handful of alternative education schools around
the country.

The New Zealand Council for Educational Research interviewed 41
alternative education pupils in a study released last week. It said 78
per cent of girls in the system were using marijuana well ahead of the
44 per cent of American girls in a similar system using marijuana.

"For many students, an environment where drugs and alcohol are freely
used was considered quite normal," the study said.

One pupil said: "My family still takes drugs; it was what I thought
was normal. I got brought up around it, but it's not good because it
influences me and my sister and we smoke drugs, drink alcohol, smoke
cigarettes."

The researchers said during visits to the alternative education
centres they observed that most of the pupils smoked cigarettes in
break time.

"Many had smoked weed ... most drank alcohol ... many did all three
[smoked cigarettes, marijuana and drank alcohol] on a regular basis."

Tolley said the Ministry of Education had finished a review of
alternative education funding.

"This followed indications of weak links to schools and poor education
outcomes among some alternative education recipients."

There were no plans to scrap alternative education, but Tolley said
she wanted to make sure the system was effective and linked with other
strategies to deal with at-risk youth.

Decisions on how alternative education centres would be funded in
future were imminent.

Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Education executive director Colin
Bramfitt said Kiwis had a greater propensity to smoke cannabis than
other nationalities.

"We've got to be pretty naive if we don't think cannabis is not a
well-used drug in New Zealand because it is."

There was more research showing concern about the implications of
long-term cannabis use on mental health.

A new study from Tilburg University, in the Netherlands, last week
showed using cannabis increased the likelihood of mental health problems.

"If you work with people in the mental health field, they will tell
you that cannabis use is an issue they have to grapple with," Bramfitt
said.