POLL SHOWS HALF OF BRITAIN'S YOUTH HAVE TRIED ILLEGAL DRUGS

A new survey on drug taking in Britain says more than half of young people
in the country and a quarter of adults have taken illegal drugs.

The BBC reports an opinion poll shows cannabis and ecstasy are the most
commonly used drugs.

The poll, carried out by ICM for the Observer newspaper as part of a
special supplement on drugs, involved 1,075 people over 16 who completed a
confidential questionnaire.

Of those, 28 per cent admitted they had taken an illegal drug.

That figure went up to 50 per cent in the 16 to 24 age group.

The survey found cannabis was the most commonly used, then ecstasy and
amphetamines.

Illegal substances were usually bought from friends rather than directly
from dealers and were taken at home rather than in clubs or pubs.

Men were more likely to have a habit than women, and 75 per cent said they
first tried it out of curiosity rather than peer pressure.