Pubdate: Tue, 02 Aug 2005 Source: Scotsman (UK) Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2005 Contact: http://www.scotsman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406 Author: Michael Howie CHILDREN AGED 13 DEALING HEROIN FOR THEIR PARENTS Police figures show juveniles are dealing heroin and other drugs in Scotland Drug dealing and use among children increasing in some regions Key quote "There is an assumption by drug-dealing parents that kids will get off lightly if they are caught. That is not necessarily the case, as the Lord Advocate has made it clear that the courts can deal with these issues" - Alistair Ramsay, director of Scotland Against Drugs CHILDREN as young as 13 are dealing in hard drugs, including heroin and cocaine, disturbing police records obtained by The Scotsman reveal. The details have prompted concern from drug workers that youngsters are being used by their parents to peddle potentially deadly narcotics. And police said the data - supplied by five of Scotland's eight forces under the Freedom of Information Act - indicated an increase in the usage of drugs, particularly cannabis, by children in Scotland. In the Lothians, police caught 13 juveniles - classed as children aged 15 and under - dealing drugs in the first six months of 2005. They included a boy and girl, both 13, supplying heroin. In September last year, a 13-year-old girl was found in Grampian supplying heroin and cocaine. Officers there also caught a 14-year-old girl dealing Ritalin - used to treat the hyperactivity disorder ADHD - and another supplying valium. In the same region, nearly 200 children as young as ten have been caught possessing drugs in the past three years. In Central Scotland, 25 children aged from 11-15 have been charged with supplying drugs in the last three years. Substances involved include heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, Valium, MDMA, and amphetamines. Police records also show 176 children have been charged with possession of illegal drugs in the same period, the vast majority involving cannabis. Drug abuse also appears to be on the rise among young people in rural Scotland. In the Highlands and Islands, the number of juveniles charged with possessing so-called "dealer quantities" has nearly quadrupled from four in 2002-3 to 15 this year. The rise mirrors those caught possessing drugs - which went up from 14 to 49. In Dumfries and Galloway, recorded drug offences by under-16s shot up from 18 to 45 in the past three years. In one case, four 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old were caught supplying cannabis outside a primary school in Dumfries. Alistair Ramsay, the director of Scotland Against Drugs, said: "Very young children who are caught dealing in drugs are clearly in touch with adult criminals, often their own parents, who are engaged in an activity for profit. It is immoral to use young people in that way," he said. "There is an assumption by drug-dealing parents that kids will get off lightly if they are caught. That is not necessarily the case, as the Lord Advocate has made it clear that the courts can deal with these issues. "However, youngsters who might be tempted to help out dealers need to be aware that there are significant legal consequences if they are caught." The Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey, carried out by Edinburgh University last year, found the number of 15-year-old boys who said they had taken drugs in the previous month fell from 24 per cent in 2002 to 21 per cent. But police said the trend appeared to be in the opposite direction. Strathclyde drug squad officer, Det Sgt Kenny Simpson, said: "Drug use is occurring at a younger age, and more people are involved." - --- MAP posted-by: Josh