ISPCC statistics - Figures warn of dangerous problems

The horrors of drugs and alcohol are facts of life for Irish children.

The Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) warned yesterday that more than 6,600 children have been treated in the past three years for drug and alcohol abuse.

While the ISPCC does not wish to alarm parents unnecessarily, there clearly is a serious problem, and parents should be forewarned. Substances abused by children included alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy and even heroin.