Almost half of West Lothian pupils could have been offered drugs

A survey has shown that 48 per cent of West Lothian 13 to 15-year-olds could have been offered drugs

[ClickPress, Fri May 19 2006] ALMOST half of the young people in West Lothian who took part in a survey on lifestyle and substance use said they had been offered drugs.

A total of 550 pupils aged 13 to 15 were surveyed.

And 73 per cent of 13-year-olds and 90 per cent of 15-year-olds admitted to having had a proper drink and not just a sip.

More worringly - in the week that a 12-year-old mum-to-be from Armadale is making all the headlines - 13 per cent of 15-year-olds said they had unprotected sex while under the influence of alcohol.

The results of the survey will be presented to West Lothian Council's children's servives and lifelong learning committee on Tuesday, May 23.

The most frequently used drug is cannabis, with almost one in every five pupils admitting they had taken it in the last year.

The survey showed that the average age at which pupils had their first taste of drugs was 14.