Children ‘dealing anxiety drug Xanax in schools’

XANAX, the anxiety drug, is being used by children as young as 11, with charities saying some are selling it on school premises, an investigation alleges.

Head teachers said that children did not understand the risks associated with Xanax, the brand name for Alprazolam, which is used to treat anxiety and panic attacks and is widely prescribed in the US. There are concerns it is being abused in the UK, after the BBC said it had seen letters from head teachers raising concerns over the use of such medications.

The corporation said it had figures showing that in 2017, there were 240 ambulance call-outs for Xanax abuse by children aged 11 to 18.

One teacher said he feared pupils had made an assumption that taking Xanax was safer than using illegal drugs. Nick Lind, deputy head of Redland Green School in Bristol, told the BBC: “Because it’s seen as a prescription drug and therefore not seen necessarily by some people as dangerous because it is prescription, they don’t understand the risks. They think it’s a safe way of getting into drugs.”

Addaction, the drug charity, also said it was “concerned” by the number of teenagers it was helping whot had addiction problems related to the drug.

The Home Office said firm action was being taken “to prevent the harms caused by drugs”.