'Very serious' cases among children who abuse drugs

More than 300 schoolchildren were referred to the Education Division's Substance Abuse Policy Team between 2002 and last year because of drug-related problems, The Times has learnt.

Eighty-six of the 334 under 16-year-olds were referred on to Sedqa, the national agency against substance abuse, because their problem was considered serious.

Ian Mifsud, from the Substance Abuse Policy Team, said the most commonly abused drug was marijuana. In some cases, the abuse had become regular and "very serious".

There have also been sporadic cases of ecstasy and cocaine use. This scholastic year has also seen the first two reports of heroin abuse, he added.

The 2003 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), which was carried out among 3,500 Form V students, had found that 10 per cent of students had used marijuana at some point in their lives. Pupils also reported having used inhalants, tranquillisers or sedatives without a doctor's prescription, amphetamines, ecstasy, anabolic steroids, crack, cocaine and LSD.

Mr Mifsud said parents or guardians have the right to refuse their child being referred to Sedqa. But if the team feels the parent or guardian is neglecting his duties, it might refer the case to Child Safety Services and eventually Appogg for neglect.

Asked how many parents refused their child being referred, Mr Mifsud said the number was "not minimal". Almost all parents cooperated, but some preferred taking matters into their own hands and dealing with the issue themselves.

To date, only one student was made to stop attending school until he agreed to address his drug dependency.

Disciplinary measures, including suspensions, were only taken when the student committed an offence during curricular or extra-curricular activities.

Although the number of students referred to the unit has gone up over the past four years, this does not necessarily reflect an increase in drug abuse.

Figures indicate that 106 pupils were referred to the team last year, 70 in 2005, 52 in 2004, 81 in 2003 and 25 in 2002.

When contacted, a spokesman for Sedqa said the youngest person to receive help from the agency's Teen Support Service last year was 11.

A total of 82 under 17-year-olds made use of the service last year. The most common source of referral for youngsters was the family, followed by the school, the agency said.

The Teen Support Services aim to identify young people at high risk of misusing substances or those who have already started experimenting.

It also offers its services through individual sessions to adolescents who are still at an experimental stage, and to their family, who seek Sedqa's help through its helpline or drop-in services.

Students with drug-related problems attend sessions either weekly or fortnightly. Often professionals carry out sessions at the school, the spokesman said.

Although schoolchildren who have drug-related problems often also engage in binge drinking, they were not necessarily addicted to alcohol, she said.

Mr Mifsud pointed out that the national policy on tackling substance abuse was being reviewed. Proposals for the new policy suggest obliging schools to report also alcohol abuse as well as making prevention campaigns mandatory for all pupils.

Results from the ESPAD study showed that the most commonly abused substances among children around 15 years old were alcohol and tobacco, followed by inhalants and marijuana.

It indicated that 94 per cent of students drank alcohol and 48 per cent smoked cigarettes.