CHILDREN as young as 11 have been caught with drugs at Wiltshire schools and colleges, new figures reveal.

Partial data obtained via a Freedom of Information request detailed 35 incidences of drugs found on Wiltshire school and college premises since 2011.

The incomplete figures, which were requested by the Press Association, detailed a series of drug-related offences – with cannabis emerging as the drug of choice among young people in Wiltshire.

Last year, an 11-year-old child was found in possession of cannabis and a child of 14 was found trafficking controlled drugs on school premises.

In 2011, a 15-year-old youth was given a final warning after possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

The majority of incidents (Seven incidents involved 14 to 15-year-olds, while there were four incidents each involving 13 and 17-year-olds (both with four incidents).

Dale Colsell (cor) is manager of Swindon specialist service U-turn, which provides support, help and guidance to young people aged from 10 to 18 who have alcohol or drug-related problems.

Last year U-turn saw 109 young people who had tried or were suspected of trying drugs or alcohol, with the majority aged between 15 and 17.

U-turn, whose youngest patient was 13, agree that cannabis is the drug of choice among 10 to 18-year-olds, making up the majority of their cases in 2014. Dale spoke of the serious health issues that cannabis smoking can cause.

“The problem is that young people don’t know enough about cannabis. It’s that mentality of going to the sweet shop with £2.50 and asking your mates if they want some,” he said.

“They don’t realise the effect it has on the adolescent brain. Because it doesn’t have that shock factor of shooting up doesn’t mean it can’t be as harmful to them in the long term.

“Cannabis gets a lot of media attention and is considered a ‘safe’ drug but it really isn’t.

“You have all those hormones going through your brain and then you add cannabis to the mix then things can go very wrong. It can bring up underlying mental health problems and harm the developing brain.”

He added there are numerous reasons why young people turn to drugs or alcohol.

“It’s complex to say why children take drugs or drink. They might see a mate who’s taken something and seemed fine. They might just want to experiment. They might be out dancing and fancy a drink,” he said.

“We just don’t want that to turn into something long-term.”

Dale said a very low number of children abusing Class A drugs have been to see the service who are abusing class-A substances.

“We don’t see children with dependencies – it’s usually experimentation,” he said.

Dale said Swindon’s youth drug problem is decreasing as a result of services including anti-drug awareness presentations at schools promoting a re-education around drugs.

“In general young people have a better awareness of drugs these days and make a conscious decision not to get involved in that so it’s better than it’s ever been,” he added.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said the key to preventing substance abuse is getting parents to talk to children about the dangers of drugs.

“Wiltshire Police is committed to targeting illegal drug use within schools and colleges,” he said.

He added: “We work closely with both schools and colleges within the county to ensure young people are educated on the consequences of drug use, both for their health and their criminal record."

The importance of these messages should never be underestimated.

“As well as engaging with young people, we also encourage parents to talk to their children about the dangers associated with drugs.”