Drink, drugs culture - We must fight to prevent teen addiction

Teenagers are boozing so much and smoking so much dope that a zero tolerance approach is no longer feasible.

No longer can this bleak scenario be consigned to the realm of anecdotal evidence. It is clear from the findings of four separate reports issued yesterday, that the use of drink and drugs among young people is part of the fabric of society. For instance, in a mixed-class suburban area, researchers found that almost 40% of 10 to 18-year-olds had tried cannabis and 76% had taken alcohol. So deeply rooted is the drugs culture that one report says it would be hard to imagine even the most comprehensive drug education programme eliminating or even significantly reducing experimentation.

Increasingly, alcohol and cannabis are perceived by teenagers as “relatively harmless.” Significantly, the national drug awareness campaign is now targeting cocaine, a deadly drug which 5% of 15 to 24-year-olds have used at one stage or another.