Series: Drugs Uncovered: Part 6 Of 17

SO HOW MUCH DO CHILDREN KNOW?

In The Pop Charts, In The Playground, On Every Street Corner, Drugs Are
Openly Discussed. So How Much Do Children Know?

Daniel Cohen, 13 London
'Anyone who is shocked when they hear of 12- and 13-year-olds smoking
cannabis has to be kidding themselves. Those who think that drug use only
happens in state schools are wrong, as are those who believe that only
private school children have enough money to score drugs. The truth is,
changing the laws won't change much with children. Most children I know are
very scared of drugs like heroin, but see cannabis as relatively harmless.
Drugs education is effective when it comes to hard drugs, but not cannabis.'

Natasha Crowl, 12 Newcastle
'I've had drugs education at school but I was not impressed. I'm in favour
of former users coming into school to speak to pupils. They've experienced
it all. I would approach the school if I had to, for advice, but would
probably first ask an adult who knows about drugs, or ask at the youth
club. I don't think it's best for parents to tell children because they
probably won't take much notice. Young people would rather listen to their
friends. Adults should be more honest with young people about the drugs
experiences they had when they were younger.'

Joseph Waggott, 11 Birmingham
'I am not aware of the exact effects of illegal drugs, but I know that any
drugs other than medical drugs should not be taken.

I've never seen any, but I've heard stories about young people who smoke
drugs in the toilets of their school.

I haven't had any drugs education yet, and neither have any of my friends
from other schools. I don't know if we will have it further up the school.
Drugs education is a good idea as it gets the message across that drugs are
harmful and you could die if you take them.'

Jamie Fletcher, 13 London
'I watched a play at school recently about drugs, telling us how it can
affect your life. It made me realise how stupid drugs are and how people
can waste their lives taking them.

We're always being given stuff at school asking us what we think about
drugs, which I think is a good thing.

On my estate there is obviously a lot of drugs about. There are a lot of
drugs on TV too.

In dramas they don't always tell you how bad drugs are, and sometimes they
make them seem glamorous which I think is bad.'

Conor Magowen Greene, 11 Belfast
'Drug use is not always as bad as the Government makes out. On some adverts
it says that drugs ruin your life. In some cases such as heroin this is
true, but not in all cases. Smoking cigarettes and cigars is equal if not
worse than smoking marijuana. If the Government made marijuana legal,
drugs-related crime would probably go down. If it was sold like cigarettes
or beer there's less chance you would be offered harder drugs. Police work
would also be cut down. I would say one in four teenagers has claimed to
have tried marijuana.'

Mariya Beekhun, 10 London
'I was probably about eight years old when I first became aware of what
drugs were. My mum and I talk about drugs often, and she's always open with
me about those kinds of things. She's also bought books for me on why drugs
are bad for your health. In year four, my class watched a video on why you
should stay away from drugs. The video explained the difference between the
kinds of drugs you can get from the doctor, and illegal drugs that you
shouldn't take. When you take these drugs, you're not just ruining your
health, you can also ruin your life.'

Myles McCormick, 11 Belfast
'If smoking cigarettes is legal then smoking cannabis should be too because
it does less harm to your health, and it's not addictive.

Some people, not my friends, smoke dope occasionally. To some of them,
doing that is a normal part of teenage life.

I think it is unfair that celebrities like Prince Harry should get such bad
publicity for smoking dope. Most people will try some form of drug at least
once in their life without anyone taking much notice. Adults should not
simply say "Don't do drugs" to teenagers; that doesn't work.'

Melissa Skinner, 11 Newcastle
'More should be done in schools to inform young people about drugs, but it
must be done in an interesting way.

I think it would be better for young people to learn about drugs by talking
to other young people. You might take more notice of people your own age
than you would an adult.

The way to tackle the availability of drugs is to legalise some of them. If
they were legal, people wouldn't pay as much money to get them. Drug
dealers wouldn't be able to make money and would go out of business.'

Jonathan Ijoyah, 11 London
'I've not yet had any drugs education at school, although I have read a
book on the subject from the library.

I remember, when I was about five or six years old, picking up a used
syringe on my estate and not knowing what it was. My mum told me to put it
down and told me never to pick up things like that again.

I've seen reports on the news about what drugs can do to you and that
they're really bad. They made me realise what a terrible thing drugs were
and that I would never want to take any.'

Erin Heenan, 13 Sheffield
In my school, there is a wide range of resources to collect information on
drugs. We learnt about the physical side, for example the damaging effects
that illegal drugs have on your body. A woman came into school and told us
how to recognise drugs and what they do to you. It was very informative.
She explained the information in a way we understood. My friends and family
are open about drugs and know that drug taking goes on. I'm glad I know the
implications of drug abuse, and that I have somewhere to go to ask questions.'