DRUG CULTURE NOW RIFE IN BRITISH SCHOOLS

One in five secondary school children have tried drugs in the last
year, a shocking national survey has revealed.

It found that six per cent of 11-year-olds had taken drugs in 2005
which rose to a third of 15- year-olds surveyed.

One in four said they had been offered cannabis and this was the drug
pupils were most likely to use, with 12 per cent trying the drug. And
a worrying four in 100 had taken Class A drugs in the past 12 months.

Drinking and smoking levels are also high among pupils. A quarter
interviewed said they had drunk alcohol in the last week and one in
ten smoked regularly.

Again these figures rose with age, with almost half of 15 year-olds
drinking regularly and a fifth smoking despite being underage.

There has been no change in patterns of drug use, drinking and
smoking since 2000 despite Government attempts to tackle the problems.

In total, 9,000 children aged 11 to 15 from 305 schools were
interviewed by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care.