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.

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Checked-by: Don Beck