Ireland: 24pc Of Teenagers Use Drugs Every Week
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n433/a11.html
Newshawk: Martin Cooke
Pubdate: Tue, 06 Mar 2001
Source: Irish Independent (Ireland)
Copyright: Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd
Contact: independent.letters@independent.ie
Website: http://www.independent.ie/
Author: Ralph Riegel
24PC OF TEENAGERS USE DRUGS EVERY WEEK
OVER 90pc of young Cork adults now drink and one-in-four of those aged under 18 admit to using cannabis each week.
The findings were delivered as part of Ireland's first-ever regional analysis of drug and substance abuse.
Conducted by the Cork Drugs Task Force, the survey's results were combined with an action plan to tackle substance abuse.
The survey found:
* 51pc of 14 to 25-year-olds drank weekly * 24pc smoked cannabis weekly * 13pc used solvents occasionally.
It also found that other drugs like Ecstasy and LSD were also widely available in Cork. CDTF co-ordinator, Rebecca Loughrey, said the survey highlighted the need for a multi-faceted response to the issue of alcohol and drug abuse. "The plan seeks to make progress in terms of information dissemination, pre-emption, counselling and then treatment."
The action plan involves 14 major segments ranging from special eduction projects for schools to the development of a halfway house venture for men.
