BBC Talking Point

Teenagers from the UK have taken more drugs, drunk more alcohol and smoked more cigarettes than their European counterparts, a new survey has revealed.

"Nearly 40% of British teenagers said they had tried substances including cannabis and ecstasy according to research commissioned by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), which interviewed thousands of teenagers in 30 European countries.

"The UK has the strictest laws on drinking and drug taking in the EU, yet Britain is ahead of other European nations in terms of binge drinking, and regular daily smoking."

**************************************************************

[I particularly enjoyed the following comments:]

"It is ironic that two of the countries with the most draconian 'anti-drug' laws have the least control over drug use, while Dutch teens, who can buy cannabis in any cafe, have better things to do with their time than get bombed. Isn't it obvious that by making something illegal one is creating an "attractive nuisance" which will draw curious teens far more strongly than if it were legal and regulated? We are all accomplices in this nasty, vicious, hypocritical game." Andrew, USA

"You must be begging for more if you instinctively turn to the state for moral guidance when people are simply unwilling to control their own behaviour. You can define limits, and set standards, but you can't legislate for common sense. If the majority of the population think it's normal to get drunk and behave like morons, no amount of fiddling with pub regulations will matter." Clive, England

"My partner is Dutch and we have a 6 week-old daughter. In Holland people are much more open about such issues - for example the age of consent for sex is 12, and the Dutch have the lowest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe. Parents need to adopt a much more open and broad-minded attitude in this country, rather than sweeping the problems under the carpet and hoping they go away, which, as we have seen, they never do." Dr. Simon Edwards, UK

"From Katmandu to Malaga there is one thing that international travellers can count on: the people out roaming the streets intoxicated, singing football songs and looking for a fight will almost always be Brits. What is the cause? What can be done? Nothing short of changing the cynical, class-based culture of Britain, a country perceived by its very citizens as a declining society. Traditionally the safety valve was emigration to new world countries. Those routes are largely closed now and while the cynicism grows the masses seek to drown their sorrows of their sad country in booze, drugs and football battles." Rod Szasz, Victoria, Canada

(ROTFL!)

"The persistent Victorian attitude that people (especially children) need to be protected from themselves prevents a mature, educated approach towards all recreational drugs (not just the two legal ones). If a teenager is told not to do something they will go out of their way to do it. If they are provided with impartial information they can then make their own informed choice. What is needed is a rational debate on all drugs (alcohol, tobacco, illegal etc) - not one that is dictated by hysterical rants from the Daily Mail et al. A more open and less authoritarian culture would go a long way to addressing some of these problems!" Dave Whyte, UK

"Being from Amsterdam I have the dubious honour of experiencing British youths abroad. What always amazes me is that you can always seem to pick them out of a crowd. They are usually off their face, loud, aggressive and spend copious amounts of money becoming even more intolerable." Jose Fernandez, Netherlands

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), February 22, 2001