http://pr.cannazine.co.uk : More than 10,000 children have been quizzed as part of a scottish alcohol & drugs survey, which is carried out every two years. The figures showed Scotland has a hardcore minority of teenagers hooked on fags, booze and drugs, which makes Scotland officially the unhealthiest place in the UK to bring up children.
Figures generated come from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Scots Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "The continued decrease in the number of teenagers who are smoking is welcome news, ('down' to 51% of 15 year olds), as is the significant rise in the number of young people who have never smoked.
But.. "However, the fact that teenagers are still smoking, still drinking and still taking drugs in their droves shows the need for action."
The figures which the Scottish Health Secretary is so positive over shows that less children are using illicit drugs over a similar period from two years ago, but in amongst the glowing anti-drugs rhetoric there is a disturbing trend continuing to show through. That is, whilst the authorities crack down on illegal drug use the amounts of children binging on alcohol and using tobacco is higher than ever before.
Whilst cannabis was (and remains) the most frequently used illicit drug, large numbers of 15-year-olds were also offered other substances such as ecstasy, heroin and cocaine, as police stamp down on illicit cannabis production.
A third of smokers aged 15 were on at least 10 cigarettes per day, creating a habit worth over £20 per week.
Youngsters said it was harder to buy cigarettes in shops after the legal age was raised to 18, but many still find tobacco products readily available from other sources including ice cream and burger vans, often which are unlicensed for the sale of tobacco.
In the meantime the report found most teenagers - 82 per cent of 15-year-olds and 52 per cent of 13-year-olds - had tried alcohol, proving once and for all where the real public health issue is.
Of those, 72 per cent of the 15-year-olds admitted they had become "really drunk" at least once. Using a recreational drug sanctioned by the British government and one which has killed people the first time they have experimented with it in the past.
Green/Eco/Environment 
