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18/04/2007
NI teens 'using cannabis on a daily basis'
Fourteen and fifteen year olds in Northern Ireland are using cannabis daily, a study has found.
Research from Queen's University Belfast has found that one in ten school children who had reported using cannabis at least once had now become daily users.
Dr Patrick McCrystal, Senior Research Fellow, said: “Whilst the numbers in our study who told us they were using cannabis each day may seem small, these young people are telling us that by the age of 15 they have moved beyond experimental or recreational use of an illegal drug to more sustained usage.”
Those reporting high levels of cannabis use were also more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol regularly, as well as use other illegal drugs. Approximately one in six of these users also reported abusing solvents on a weekly basis and nearly one third used ecstasy each week. The frequent cannabis users were responsible for almost all use of ‘hard’ drugs like cocaine.
The Youth Development Study (YDS), being carried out by Queen’s Institute of Child Care Research, is a longitudinal study of adolescent drug use. Some 4,000 teenagers covering 43 schools in Belfast, Ballymena and Downpatrick have taken part each year since they entered secondary education making it one of the largest schools-based surveys of its kind.
The research found that 70 percent of the frequent users were male.
Nearly two-thirds of all the users belonged to the lowest socio-economic groups, were more likely to live within a disrupted family with just one parent, have poor levels of communication with parents or guardians, and had low levels of motivation to do well at school.
(JM/KMcA)
Research from Queen's University Belfast has found that one in ten school children who had reported using cannabis at least once had now become daily users.
Dr Patrick McCrystal, Senior Research Fellow, said: “Whilst the numbers in our study who told us they were using cannabis each day may seem small, these young people are telling us that by the age of 15 they have moved beyond experimental or recreational use of an illegal drug to more sustained usage.”
Those reporting high levels of cannabis use were also more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol regularly, as well as use other illegal drugs. Approximately one in six of these users also reported abusing solvents on a weekly basis and nearly one third used ecstasy each week. The frequent cannabis users were responsible for almost all use of ‘hard’ drugs like cocaine.
The Youth Development Study (YDS), being carried out by Queen’s Institute of Child Care Research, is a longitudinal study of adolescent drug use. Some 4,000 teenagers covering 43 schools in Belfast, Ballymena and Downpatrick have taken part each year since they entered secondary education making it one of the largest schools-based surveys of its kind.
The research found that 70 percent of the frequent users were male.
Nearly two-thirds of all the users belonged to the lowest socio-economic groups, were more likely to live within a disrupted family with just one parent, have poor levels of communication with parents or guardians, and had low levels of motivation to do well at school.
(JM/KMcA)
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