Greek youth don’t dig pot
More than half of young Greeks believe it is easy to get hold of drugs in or around schools but cannabis use in Greece was the lowest of all EU member states before enlargement, according to a survey released yesterday. The poll was conducted by phone and involved the questioning of 7,659 people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the 15 member states before the Union expanded on May 1. The Greek sample consisted of 500 respondents, 87 percent of whom said they could easily find drugs in a bar or nightclub. The EU average was 76 percent. Most young Greeks, however, do not need to go that far as 60 percent say that drugs are available near their home and 62 percent say it is no trouble to get hold of drugs in or near schools. Only 7 percent of the Greeks questioned, however, say they have smoked cannabis, compared to an EU average of 33 percent. Just 1 percent admitted to using the drug in the last month while 39 percent said they knew cannabis users and 33 percent said they knew people who used other drugs – the second-lowest figures in the EU.
