MORE TEENAGERS ARE NOW TAKING COCAINE

SCHOOL pupils are being urged not to follow in the footsteps of Kate
Moss after shocking new figures showed the extent of cocaine use
among Welsh youngsters.

A Welsh Assembly report showed almost a third of referrals for female
cocaine users last year were in the 15 to 19-year-old age group.

Meanwhile, boys of the same age made up only 13% of all male cocaine
referrals. Home Office figures published last month showed one in 50
children aged between 11 and 15 in the UK had experimented with cocaine.

And newly-published Welsh Assembly statistics for 2005 show just how
young the nation's cocaine users had become.

The figures, released by the Welsh Assembly's social justice and
regeneration committee, showed there were just as many teenage girls
treated for cocaine use as there were women in their 20s and 30s.

The vast majority of the 48 referrals for cocaine use last year came
from South Wales, with 10 coming from North Wales counties.

One drug-prevention programme aimed at pupils in the Rhondda is
actively using the example of supermodel Kate Moss to try and put
youngsters off cocaine use.

The model was photo-graphed allegedly taking cocaine with ex-lover
Pete Doherty. Anti-drug campaigner Jeff Webb, of Anglesey, also
claimed youngsters were being encouraged by the publicity around Moss.

Mr Webb, a former drug dealer who speaks about his experiences in
Anglesey schools, said: "I would say the figures are quite accurate.

"At that age group, they are going out, experimenting, clubbing and,
believe it or not, a lot of people at that age are getting into
cocaine. It certainly does seem to be the 'in thing' at the moment..

"The important thing is to use real-life examples of the damage it
causes, like with Kate Moss, and to show that the results are shocking."

Calls are now being made for the Assembly to fund specialist drug
treatment for youngsters only.

Barnardo's Cymru director Raymond Ciborowski said: "Given the dearth
of treatment centres for young people, we want to work with partner
agencies and adult centres to develop appropriate specialist services."