Statistics show that about one in 100 11-year-olds had taken a Class A drug, such as cocaine, ecstasy or heroin, and one in 10 of 15-year-olds have taken hard drugs. There is a rise in illegal drug usage among secondary pupils. They take illegal drugs such as cocaine which has created a lot of trouble for the Government.
The survey was carried out among England's 3.4 million secondary pupils. Despite undertaking multi-million-pound campaigns such as Talk to Frank to curb drug and alcohol misuse among children the figures are rising. The deaths in the cocaine culture had risen and a record 139 deaths in 2002 was reported. Britain is said to have the highest level of cocaine use in Europe. David Davis, the shadow home secretary said that Labor has let hard drugs flow into the towns and playgrounds.Cocaine use among schoolboys and girls has doubled, destroying young lives and betraying a whole generation of young people. One in four of the 9,000 11- to 15-year-olds questioned told the Information Centre for Health and Social Care that they had a drink in the previous week. Prof Denise Lievesley, the center’s chief executive, said that the levels of drugs, drink and cigarettes used by children aged 11 to 15 have remained constant for the past five years despite increased attention to such behavior. Boys admitted drinking more alcohol than girls. Girls on the other hand were more likely to be regular smokers.
