MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE

There was some good news this week on the use of illicit drugs.

Indeed, a 20% fall in the use of ecstasy among young people and no serious
increase in other class A drugs, prompted an enthusiastic response from
Caroline Flint, the Home Office drugs minister.

She described the latest statistics from the British Crime Survey as proof
that "young people are getting the message that drugs are harmful and some
drugs can, and do, kill. It's encouraging to see signs that our work is
having an effect." There are plenty of positive trends she can point to:
the regular increases in use of drugs in the late 1990s has flattened out;
the use of more serious (class A) drugs - LSD, cocaine, crack, ecstasy,
heroin, magic mushrooms - among young people has remained stable since
1996. There has also been a steep drop in the use of amphetamines and no
sign that government moves to relax the laws on cannabis have led to an
increase in their use, as some predicted.

But before there is too much celebration, drugs charities were right to
warn about reading too much into one year's figures.

It is too early to say the fall in ecstasy is a long-term trend.

There is some evidence that its decline has little to do with health
warnings and a lot more to do with fashion. Drug agencies point to the
demise of all-night dances as a more likely trigger for the decline in the
use of ecstasy.

Its compounds are similar to the drug used by second world war pilots to
keep going all night. But all-night dances are now being replaced by the
return of live gigs and rock music.

The report is also useful for some widely-held myths it dispels: there is
more serious drug-taking in affluent urban areas than on poor inner-city
estates; similarly, the 10% of white 16- to 24-year-olds who use class A
drugs, is five times the proportion of young black people (2%).

There could be another explanation for the switch from illicit drugs.

Young people are moving back to a legitimate, but often more dangerous
drug, alcohol. Binge drinking among young people is on the rise. Two out of
five young people (18 to 24) get "very drunk" at least once a month, and
one in three admits to getting into that state once a week. The links
between excessive drink and excessive violence are daunting.

Drink leads to 40% of all domestic violence, 50% of serious road crashes
and 50% of street punch ups. There are 13,000 violent incidents in licensed
premises every week. The new Licensing Act gives more powers to the police
and courts to shut down pubs or wine bars which serve drunk customers.

Ms Flint should ensure that these new powers are rigorously applied.