Almost a third of all second-year students in Dublin's secondary schools have used cannabis, according to a survey carried out by the Eastern Health Board. The study, of 1,000 pupils in 16 schools, showed the average age for the first use of the drug was 12.5 years. Six in 10 said they sometimes drank alcohol, with 16 per cent admitting regular drinking, and 14 per cent saying they had used inhalents.
The study also found "a significant relationship between delinquent behaviour and the level of involvement with both alcohol and cannabis".