ONE IN TWO STUDENTS TAKES DRUGS

HALF of the country's 122,000 students use drugs regularly, according to a
survey by the Union of Students of Ireland. As Britain moved to relax the
laws in relation to cannabis use, the USI poll showed that one in four
Irish students started taking drugs before they were 16, with 14% saying
they were dependent and felt they needed help to stop.

The most common drug used was cannabis, followed by ecstasy, acid, magic
mushrooms, speed and cocaine.

The vast majority of students were introduced to drugs by friends, with
most of the drugs supplied on campus.

Most of those who want to stop say they need more support from their
families to quit. Various reasons were cited for kicking the habit. Most
quit for health reasons, while 32% did so to concentrate on study. One in
seven stopped because of a bad experience on drugs.

Two-thirds of the 500 students surveyed said a family member knew of their
drug use. However, most said a national helpline should be set up to inform
students of the dangers of drug use. They also said the Department of
Health should do more to help those with a drug problem.

USI president Colm Jordan said drug use was prevalent in society and called
for students to be given more help. "It is vital that the inherent dangers
to health are eliminated as much as possible. Rather than taking an
unrealistic 'just-say-no' stance, USI believes it is important to provide
information and support for students who may need assistance."

National Parents Council president Michael O'Regan said the supply chain
must be cut off and courts have to come down a lot heavier on suppliers and
dealers.

"Our health boards have tried everything. Our message is that there is no
such thing as a soft drug and we need to get ruthless and show people the
reality feature addicts in advertising campaigns and show these students
how drugs ruin lives."

He said a hard-hitting media campaign, similar to the drink driving ads,
should be carried on television showing students the reality and the
consequences of drug use