A survey of over 1,000 parents with children aged between 13 and 18 years of age, by drugs information service FRANK, has revealed the lack of awareness parents have around the latest headline hitting concern that is legal highs.
Parenting on Female First
Three quarters of those polled admitted to never having spoken to their teenage children about legal highs such as Ivory Wave, Benzo Fury and MDAI. The main barrier cited was a lack of knowledge around the risks of legal highs.
The YouGov survey on parents of teens’ attitudes towards risky behaviours revealed that a fifth of those polled said they had never heard of the term ‘legal high’, with a further quarter knowing nothing about them beyond the term.
Additionally, 43 per cent had heard about 'legal highs' but knew little about them and only 14 per cent of those polled stated that they knew a fair amount about the drugs.
‘Legal Highs’ are substances which produce the same, or similar effects, to drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, but are structurally different enough to avoid being classified as illegal substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Mephedrone, otherwise known as meow meow or MCAT, was created in a lab to mimic cocaine or ecstasy. In 2010, “meow meow” hit the headlines as it was implicated in the deaths of six people. Legislation has since been passed so that mephedrone became a controlled substance meaning it’s now illegal to possess, give away or sell.
Did you realise that legal highs can be bought over the Internet?
Key statistics show that seven in 10 parents of children aged 13 – 18 are unaware that their children could buy legal highs over the Internet and 72 per cent were unaware that they could be bought at festival stalls.
More than eight in 10 parents were also oblivious to the fact that legal highs could be purchased in high street shops.
Chris Hudson, from Respond, said: “Just because a drug is legal to possess, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. It is becoming increasingly clear that ‘legal highs’ are often far from harmless and can have similar health risks to drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and speed, and some may even turn out to have additional harms.
"It’s important that parents talk to their children about the risks of both illegal and legal drugs. The FRANK website is a good place to get up to date information which can make the conversation a bit easier,” he added.
Despite what is commonly thought, young people look to their parents as a source of information and listen to what they have to say with 66 per cent of 11 – 15 year olds saying a key source of information about drugs is their parents.
At this time of year many young people attend festivals or are about to head to university for the first time, situations where they might potentially be offered drugs or legal highs. In 2011-12, a Home Office report revealed that 17 new substances were identified - with legal highs being discovered at such a rate there’s never been a better time to talk to your children.
For more information and advice visit www.talktofrank.com or call FRANK free and in confidence 24 hours a day on 0800 77 66 00. You can also text FRANK a question to 82111. For further guidance on speaking to your child about drugs visit http://www.talktofrank.com/worried-about-a-child