Parliament: Drugs: Cannabis `no longer rebellious'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE USE of cannabis is so commonplace among British schoolchildren that it is no longer regarded as an act of rebellion, the drugs tsar Keith Hellawell admitted yesterday.
Addressing the Home Affairs Select Committee, Mr Hellawell said many children did not even associate smoking cannabis with drug-taking.
"It's almost as if it has become marginalised," he said. "Everybody does it. You are not actually beating the system and being a rebel or radical if you are taking the substance."
In a frank exchange with MPs, Mr Hellawell, the UK's anti-drugs co-ordinator, admitted that the Government's strategy for fighting drugs was unlikely to show any signs of success within three years.
He said no community was safe from the growing problem of heroin use and some youngsters were taking it as their first illegal drug. Although many new heroin users have been introduced to the smokable form of the drug, some young users were now choosing to inject heroin to satisfy their increasing craving, Mr Hellawell said.
The drug tsar promised MPs that more of the pounds 1.4bn spent annually on fighting drugs would be allocated to education, which receives only 3 per cent of the budget.
Mr Hellawell said ground had been lost by the reluctance of schools to take on board anti-drug messages. He said: "Up to four or five years ago it was taboo in schools to talk about drugs. It was outlawed by parents who said, `If they are talking about drugs in school, it's a druggy school and I will take my kids away'."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments