Pubdate: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 Source: Reuters (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Reuters Limited ONE IN THREE BRITISH TEENS SMOKES CANNABIS LONDON - British teenagers, casting caution to the winds, are regularly smoking drugs and drinking their way to oblivion, according to a report released on Friday. The survey by the National Centre for Social Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research said nearly one-third of 15-year-olds had smoked cannabis in the past year and the number of under-age drinkers had risen sharply. The news came just one day after medical experts from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended to the government that cannabis be reclassified as a low-risk drug. The survey of more than 9,000 pupils in 285 secondary schools across England showed that thirteen percent of pupils aged 11-15 had used cannabis in the last year increasing to 31 percent among 15-year-olds. Two-fifths of all pupils said they had been offered one or more drugs, with boys more likely than girls to have been approached. Twenty seven percent of pupils said they had been offered cannabis, while 22 percent had been asked to try stimulants which included cocaine, crack, ecstasy, amphetamines and "poppers" (amyl nitrate). Again the figures climbed dramatically with 15-year-olds as 66 percent claimed they had been offered drugs. Roger Howard, chief executive of the charity Drugscope which offers advice and education on drug abuse, said he was not surprised by the findings. "Criminal sanctions and jail is simply not stopping large numbers of young people experimenting with drugs," he said. "The only way to address the problem is to invest more in long term education and prevention work and ensure that young people who need treatment get it immediately." The drinking of alcohol among youngsters was also highlighted in the report. After falling from 27 percent in 1996 to 21 percent in 1998, it increased again to 26 percent in 2001. One in two 15-year-olds said they had consumed alcohol in the past week. However, the number of alcohol units drunk in a week which had increased steadily from 5.3 in 1990 to 10.4 in 2000 fell for the first time to stand at 9.8. Figures for solvent abuse doubled from three percent to seven, however the research centres said this was probably a result of the change in the survey's question format rather than an increase in actual misuse. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth