ABSTRACT
Substance misuse in young people ranges from readily available and legal substances such as tobacco, alcohol and volatile substances to more uncommon and illegal substances such as ecstasy, cannabis, cocaine or heroin. The widespread use of illicit drugs and their associations with physical and psychological morbidity, mortality and social disabilities has made substance misuse among young people a significant public health problem (Pudney 2002). Substance misuse in young people should be considered in the context of ‘normal’ adolescent risk-taking behaviours and experimentation. Many young people will experiment with alcohol and/or illegal drugs and most of them will probably suffer no long-term physical, psychological and social harm. However, for a small minority of young people, the use of alcohol and/or illegal drugs will escalate into addiction. Although the use of heroin and cocaine gives rise to more public concern, there is little doubt that tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption can have a far more deleterious effect on the health of young people. Stimulant drugs such as crack, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy are currently popular amongst the younger age groups and are integral to the ethos of the ‘club scene’.
