Early school-leavers more likely to use Class-A drugs
They are also up to two and a half times more likely to smoke and up to four times more likely to use cannabis.
The biggest differences showed up in cocaine, magic mushrooms, ecstasy and so-called party pills. Only with alcohol is the difference in usage rate between the two groups negligible.
The figures are revealed in a study commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NCAD) which sought to discover what causes substance use by young people and what factors protect them from doing so.
A positive school experience was found to play a major part in protecting against drinking, smoking and using cannabis or other drugs, but so did the influence of parents.
Trutz Haase, the report’s co-author, said: “This study proves in a very robust manner that parental concern does matter, so if we think we can’t influence our children we’re wrong.
“If a family member uses one form of substance, this represents a significant additional risk for the young person to use the identical substance.”
Low self-esteem contributed significantly to their likelihood of smoking, which was often a gateway to more serious forms of substance use.
Friends were also an important factor, with young people who had boyfriends, girlfriends and peers who smoked, drank or took drugs more likely to follow suit.
The fifth main influence was the community where the young person lived. The report says: “Living in a Drugs Task Force area has a measurable, statistically significant positive effect on drug use among early school-leavers.”
NCAD chairman Dr Des Corrigan said the report highlighted the importance of the various community, family and school supports available and the need to expand on them.
Minister for Drugs, Pat Carey, said he could give no guarantees about funding for the support programmes, although he stressed: “They don’t cost a fortune and they are very effective.
“I am working very hard to ensure that the resources that are required to implement programmes such as this will continue to be available.”
The study was based on interviews with almost 1,000 people aged 15-18, half of whom were attending school while the other half had left school early and were now in Youthreach programmes or Community Training Centres.
The study did not include early school-leavers who were in no form of education or training. Mr Haase said it was “probable that these young people were even more likely to be smoking, drinking and using drugs than the others.
