Innocence lost as children turn to the hard drugs

ONE in 20 children in the Capital has a £26-a-week drug habit, a new survey has revealed.

While the number of youngsters drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis has fallen, the use of other harder drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy, LSD and magic mushrooms has risen, according to the figures.

Fears have been raised in recent years about the ready availability of cheap cocaine in the Capital.

The number of youngsters offered the drug, among the 1274 school pupils questioned for the survey, had doubled in 2006 compared with 2002, to 12 per cent. A quarter of 15-year-olds admitted taking drugs, which was slightly down on four years earlier, although the decrease was mainly due to fewer smoking cannabis.

Tom Wood, chairman of Action on Alcohol and Drugs in Edinburgh, said: "Young people have demonstrated that if you give them good information they will make good decisions. That's reflected in these cannabis and alcohol figures. Young people want to feel sharp and smart and you don't have to use cannabis or alcohol too much to realise that's not what it does to you."

However, he admitted the availability of cocaine to teenagers, and the rise in the number using it, was a cause for concern. "Cocaine is one of the most serious issues facing us today," he said. "It has started to show itself in unprecedented quantities and in areas where drug use was not prevalent.

"We know that a huge amount of cocaine is coming in from drug cartels who have been targeting Europe and it still has this showbiz, sexy image of a party drug – that's utterly untrue and we are starting to see people get into serious trouble with cocaine."

The figures are published in the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey, which looked at smoking, drink and drug use among 13 and 15-year-olds in the Capital.

Three per cent of 13-year olds, and 15 per cent of 15-year olds had used drugs in the last month, with just over half of those paying for them. The average amount spent each week on drugs was £26.

More than half of the 13-year-olds said they had tried alcohol, as had four-fifths of 15-year-olds.

However, despite its prevalence, in both cases it was slightly down on 2002, when 64 per cent of 13-year-olds and 84 per cent of 15-year-olds were drinkers.

One in three 15-year-olds said they were able to buy alcoholic drinks from their nearest shop.

Labour's justice spokeswoman, Pauline McNeill, said it was key to stop such ready access to alcohol among young people.

Ms McNeill said: "There are too many young people waking up on a Saturday or Sunday morning with no recollection of the previous night's events.

"We need to identify how they are getting hold of their alcohol and penalise those shops that are putting profits before the law."

The Labour MSP added: "We also need to further educate our young people about the consequences of alcohol abuse."