Source: West Australian, The (Australia) Contact: FAX: +61 8 94823830 Pubdate: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 Page: 40 Author: Steve Pennells, Sydney ONE IN THREE TRIED CANNABIS: STUDY MORE than one in three Australian high school students have tried cannabis and one in 20 have experimented with opiates such as heroin or morphine, according to a national study released yesterday. The disturbing figures which were presented to health ministers at a meeting in Sydney, also show that cannabis has been used by 13 per cent of 12-year-olds and more than half of the country's 17-year-olds. It found that regular use of the drug, at least once a week, increased significantly with age from 3 per cent of 12-year-olds to 16 per cent of 17-year-olds. By the time they turned 17, nearly one in 10 students had also tried amphetamines. The survey was conducted two years ago by State and Territory health departments and is the first national look at the use of over-the-counter and illicit drugs by high school students. Almost 30,000 students from 434 schools were involved. Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge said he was shocked by the figures, especially the high levels of cannabis use. "Clearly that's an area where Australian governments have to do more," Dr Wooldridge said. But he said he was "pleasantly surprised" that heroin use in schoolchildren had not increased in more than a decade. WA Drug Abuse Strategy Minister Rhonda Parker said the survey confirmed the need for the State Government's cannabis policy, launched three months ago. This included the trial of a cautioning system linked to a mandatory education program for people caught using cannabis. She said the survey confirmed people were unaware of the risks associated with cannabis use. The Commonwealth Health and Family Services Department released the drug report yesterday. The survey was coordinated by the Centre for Behavioural Studies at the Anti-Cancer Council of Australia. The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, which comprises Commonwealth, State and Territory health and law enforcement ministers, yesterday endorsed the national drug strategic framework for another five years. - --- Checked-by: Don Beck