Pubdate: Wed, 26 Mar 2008
Source: Herald Sun (Australia)
Copyright: 2008 Herald and Weekly Times
Contact:  http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/187
Authors: Peter Jean, and Holly Ife
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

TEENAGE EARNERS AT DRUGS RISK

TEENS with larger disposable incomes are more likely to take drugs 
than poorer peers, a study has found.

Commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs, it found 
that school students with $21-$60 a week disposable income were 60 
per cent more likely to have used drugs in the past year than those 
with $20 or less.

Students with more than $60 spending money a week were almost twice 
as likely to have used drugs than those with $20 or less.

Adolescent psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg urged parents to limit the 
money they gave teenagers.

"We have known for a long time that children with a higher disposable 
income are more likely to try drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, 
simply because they can afford it," Dr Carr-Gregg said.

He said children should be given $1 pocket money a week for every 
year of their age; so, $10 a week for a 10-year-old, and so on.

"Parents should give pocket money to children in three lots: one lot 
to spend, one lot to save, and one lot to give to charity," he said.

Joe Tucci, of the Australian Childhood Foundation, agreed that $1 
pocket money a week per year of age was about right.

"Once you have a framework, you can talk to children about what they 
shouldn't spend their money on. For example, teenagers should not be 
spending money on alcohol," he said.

The report also found indigenous students and below-average academic 
performers were more likely to use drugs than their peers.

However, it warned random drug testing of students at school would be 
ineffective and expensive, and could alienate students from teachers. 
It said random saliva tests of 10 per cent of students three times a 
year would cost $110 million, and urine tests would cost $91 million.

Annual saliva testing of all students would cost $355 million.

Council on Drugs executive Gino Vumbaca said drug testing was not 
always effective and subjects could return false positives.

He also said testing could encourage drug-takers to switch to more 
harmful substances that were harder to detect.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike's spokeswoman said the Government did 
not support drug testing in schools. "All government schools in 
Victoria are expected to provide drug education programs for all 
students," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom