Fifteen-year-old boys in Scotland have the best charge for smoking hashish in line with a brand new report from the World Well being Group (WHO).
The research discovered that just about 1 / 4 (23%) of boys aged 15 in Scotland surveyed mentioned that they had tried the Class B drug in some unspecified time in the future.
In one of many largest research of its type the WHO examined knowledge from 280,000 kids aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 international locations world wide.
The survey additionally recommended that the UK has extra of a problem with under-age vaping than many different international locations.
The survey requested kids residing in Europe, Central Asia and Canada about their use of cigarettes, vapes, alcohol and hashish.
It discovered that kids in Scotland and Wales usually tend to have smoked hashish than these in lots of different international locations.
Each international locations are within the prime 5 globally.
From the Scottish pattern, which concerned 4,000 youngsters, 23% of 15-year-old boys mentioned that they had smoked hashish inside their lifetime, whereas 16% of ladies the identical age mentioned the identical.
Canadian women ranked highest with 25% saying that they had smoked the drug.
Simply 13% of boys and 6% of ladies in Scotland mentioned that they had used hashish, often known as weed, within the final 30 days.
Dr Jo Inchley from the College of Glasgow, who labored as worldwide co-ordinator for the research, mentioned the excessive rating of Scottish boys within the research is “regarding”.
“We’re not seeing the declines amongst common customers like we do amongst extra experimental customers,” she mentioned.
“In contrast with different international locations, we’re nonetheless comparatively excessive and 15-year-old boys in Scotland have the best ranges of hashish use throughout the research as an entire.
“That is regarding. So, despite the fact that we have seen these decreases, we’re nonetheless comparatively excessive in comparison with different international locations,” she added.
Hashish use has dropped lately and has stabilised, however some weak kids are nonetheless persevering with to make use of it, in line with Dr Inchley.
The research additionally checked out traits in smoking, vaping and consuming alcohol among the many three age teams.
It discovered two-fifths of ladies in England and Scotland have vaped by the age of 15. That’s larger than in different international locations equivalent to France, Austria, Germany, Albania, Spain, Canada and Norway.
The research discovered 40% of 15-year-old women in Scotland, and 33% of boys have used an digital cigarette.
Of these, 30% of ladies mentioned their use was within the 30 days previous to the 2022 survey, whereas for boys the determine was 20%.
“Vaping within the UK is larger than the common throughout all of the international locations that took half within the survey as an entire,” mentioned Dr Inchley.
“Steep will increase in vaping amongst younger individuals within the UK threaten to reverse a few of the optimistic traits we’ve seen in substance use lately with general declines in alcohol use and cigarette smoking for the reason that Nineteen Nineties,” she mentioned.
“Charges of vaping have doubled within the final 4 years amongst women in Scotland.
“Vapes are far too readily accessible to younger individuals and the well being dangers are underestimated. New laws to ban single use vapes is a vital step ahead however additional motion is required to deal with these worrying traits,” she added.
Vaping overtaken smoking
Smoking amongst kids is should much less widespread than it was once – only one in 5 15 year-old women have ever smoked a cigarette – however smoking charges are nonetheless larger amongst women than boys in England and Wales.
The report confirms that vaping charges have overtaken cigarette smoking in most international locations, with practically one in ten 11-year-olds saying they’ve used a vape no less than as soon as, rising to 26% of boys and 40% of ladies by age 15.
Vaping charges within the UK are above common in comparison with different international locations. Though vaping is considered a lot much less harmful than smoking, the dangers of youngsters respiratory chemical substances into their lungs will not be but absolutely understood.
The UK authorities has already launched measures to clamp down on the promotion and unlawful sale of vapes to underneath 18s.
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By way of consuming alcohol, the Scottish figures are marginally decrease than the remainder of the UK international locations surveyed.
A complete of 73% of 15-year-old women and 64% of 15-year-old boys within the nation mentioned that they had tried alcohol, whereas 32% and 26% of ladies and boys respectively mentioned that they had been drunk no less than twice.
Kids aged 11 and 13 in England are the almost certainly to have ever drunk alcohol in contrast with kids in all the opposite international locations surveyed.
In contrast with different European international locations, charges of drunkenness within the UK had been excessive, significantly amongst women.
The report urges international locations to introduce measures that may shield younger generations from hurt, equivalent to limiting the provision of nicotine and tobacco merchandise, and alcohol, and a ban on promoting and promotion of any substances on mainstream and social media.
It is a complete research that checked out behaviour of younger individuals in 44 international locations from Tajikistan to Greenland, Canada to Belgium. It’s an fascinating snapshot of the kind of dangerous behaviours adolescents participate in whereas rising up.
Scotland is prime of the league desk for 15 yr outdated boys having tried hashish in some unspecified time in the future of their lifetime (23%), however that’s solely marginally larger than Poland (22%).
And on the subject of these saying they’ve used hashish within the final 30 days, Bulgaria confirmed the best prevalence for boys (19%) and Canada for ladies (15%).
England didn’t submit knowledge on hashish use. The research exhibits that general, hashish use has dropped or stabilised lately.
Whether or not it’s hashish use, vaping or consuming alcohol, understanding these traits is essential for coverage makers as analysis exhibits younger persons are significantly delicate to substances as a result of their brains are nonetheless creating.
It’s simpler for them to turn out to be addicted and might have penalties for training, bodily and psychological well being. Figuring out and concentrating on areas of concern ought to assist prioritise the measures that should be put in place to sort out them.
