YOUTH SUPPORT 'IS KEY TO DRUG CONTROL'

THE director of the Scottish Drugs Forum says helping young people is
the key to whether society manages to control addiction to drugs.

David Liddell said: "It comes down a lot to responding to the
underlying problems. It could be the case that if you look at other
issues, then the drugs-use may become less of a problem.

"If we can get to the young people quicker, then we can try to stem
the flow of new recruits to the 50,000 problem drug users in Scotland."

Currently, a care in the community approach is adopted when dealing
with drug addicts under the age of 16 in Scotland.

There are 58 specialist addiction services offering non-residential
treatment to youngsters.

According to Mr Liddell it is inappropriate for adult services to be
dealing with the problems child addicts face. As such, the umbrella
group for anti-drug charities would support the development of
services specifically for young people, he said.

"It is inappropriate for young people to be dealt with in an adult
capacity because a young person's problems are not so entrenched," he
said.

"There is also the issue of how you deal with people of that age group
and how you deal with a range of problems, such as mental health, of
which the drug-taking may be a symptom."

Another solution would be to provide a residential rehabilitation
centre specifically for addicted children, according to Peter McCann,
chairman of Castle Craig Hospital in Peeblesshire, the UK's largest
treatment centre for adult dependency on drink and drugs.

He said: "Treatment is available in the community, but it is not
intensive. You really have to take addicts out of their surroundings
and away from their whole environment and that applies to youngsters
as well as adults. There is a desperate need for this facility."

Mr McCann is one of a number of experts who has been pressing health
boards to allocate funding for child residential rehabilitation units.

According to a recent survey, one in five 15-year-olds admit to using
drugs, while police figures show at least 70 schoolchildren in
Scotland were arrested by officers for drug dealing last year. Those
detained included 10 aged 15 or under caught dealing heroin in Fife
and 14 under-16s in Lothian and Borders.