ABSTRACT
Substance misuse is a major social and public health problem, with drug misuse increasing dramatically across all age ranges in almost every country (Vienna International Centre, 1994). In Britain, young people’s exposure to illicit drugs has increased considerably over the past decade (Wright and Pearl, 1995; NHS Health Advisory Service, 1996; Balding, 1996; 1997; Measham et al., 1998). Forty-eight per cent of 16–24-year-olds have used illegal drugs (Her Majesty’s Government, 1998), and the number of addicts has increased by over 50 per cent between 1992 and 1996. In the last decade there has been a fivefold increase in 12–13-year-olds using drugs and an eightfold increase among those aged 14–15 years (SCODA, 1999). More than a third of 15–16-year-olds have smoked cannabis; one in seven has used amphetamine and just under one in ten has taken Ecstasy.
