Young are hooked on hard drugs

HALF of the island's registered drug users started experimenting before their 16th birthday. Almost one in five first used drugs between the ages of 10 and 12 and a third of the 72 known heroin users are aged between 16 and 20. The figures were published yesterday in the Bailiwick Drug Misuse Database's first annual report. It follows an unprecedented survey of users. The report shows that around 90% are male and eight out of 10 were born locally and are resident in the island. More than 20% of heroin addicts spend over £200 a week on their habit and, of the 71% who use cannabis, almost half use it every day. The report also showed 'a small but significant' number who were sharing needles and therefore risked spreading HIV and hepatitis. Almost a fifth of the 179 registered users admitted using cocaine or crack cocaine, although there were no independent figures for the two different substances. As the figures were handed out, Customs chief officer Brian Richings said that he forecasted another rise in heroin and other drugs seized this year. The quantity of heroin seized at the harbour and airport rose from 81.6g in 2001 to 625g last year - an increase of 800%. 'We are seizing good amounts of heroin. Increasingly, the Channel Islands are attracting the big players,' he said. 'We are getting UK syndicates involved in drug smuggling into the island, but the Channel Islands are just a part of their operation.' Mr Richings added that it was inevitable pushers would target such an affluent community where drugs fetched relatively high prices. The annual database report was compiled from the records of both government agencies and charities working with drug users. Among the 179 people listed, 64 were in prison, 39 were clients of Drug Concern, 29 were mental health patients and 37 were on probation. Board of Health president Peter Roffey, who admits having tried cannabis recreationally when he was young, said it was impossible to quantify the number of people who used drugs in the island. He said that anecdotal evidence suggested that many people did use substances recreationally. However, he stressed that the problem was not 'rampant' and the people listed were those with real problems and were in no sense representative of the community generally. He said that a questionnaire filled in by 1,200 Year 8 to 10 pupils last year showed that drug use and awareness among school children were still very low. 'We do have an emerging heroin problem but it is well behind Jersey,' he said. 'Clearly, that is a trend that's going to be difficult to turn.' It is hoped that compiling statistics annually will make it possible to put together a drug strategy which will be tailored to the island's needs. Deputy Roffey admitted that the research should perhaps have been done earlier, adding that it had taken time to unite various government bodies behind the project. He said: 'We are trying to proceed on an evidence basis rather than reacting on an emotional level. 'We are trying to take a broad approach involving education, treatment and policing, rather than leaning too heavily on any one of those three legs.'