Drug and alcohol scourge that put 3,000 children in hospital

MorE than 3,000 children in scotland have ended up in hospital over the past two years after taking drugs or drinking too much alcohol.

Thousands of children have been taken to A&E and admitted to hospital, including 200 cases of children aged ten to 14 who fell ill because of alcohol last year.

These included patients with alcohol poisoning, which can cause heart attacks and brain damage, and those who had harmed themselves after drinking.

There were more than 400 cases of teenage drug victims aged 15 to 18 taken to hospital. recently, two 17-year-olds died at the T in the Park music festival, both feared to have taken drugs.

rates of drug-taking and drinking among young people have fallen in recent years but the high casualty figures have been met with alarm. They show 3,336 children were admit- ted to emergency departments or to hospital in 2014-15 and 2015-16, prompting calls for education on the dangers to be stepped up.

Lib Dem health spokesman Alex Colehamilton said: ‘it is clear that education has a vital role to play in keeping children and families safe.

‘This means helping parents keep prescription medicines and other drugs safe at home and working to ensure that older children understand fully the risks associated with drinking and drug use.’

The drugs figures come after experts have warned of super-strength ‘legal highs’ still available on the black market, despite a ban on their sale that came into force in May.

schoolchildren in scotland are taking drugs synthesised to mimic cannabis, which are far stronger than even the most potent varieties and cause psychotic delusions.

however drug charities warn that their biggest concern is still underage binge drinking, which sends many young people into A&E to have their stomachs pumped.

Andrew horne, director of drug and alcohol treatment charity Addaction scotland, said: ‘Although [legal highs] are in the spotlight across the UK at present, alcohol is still scotland’s biggest issue for young people.’

Public health Minister Aileen Campbell said: ‘These figures show the number of children admitted for drugs and alcohol fell by 13 per cent over this period. Drug-taking among young people is the lowest in a decade.’

she added that education about substance misuse was being stepped up in schools through the Curriculum for Excellence and Choices for Life programme.