'A fifth of young Brits think their parents have taken drugs'

London, October 5 : One in five young Britons think that their parents have taken drugs, reports a new survey.

According to a poll commissioned by specialist drug and alcohol charity 'Addaction', only one percent of parents questioned think their own children take drugs, while over half of the young generation itself thought their parents 'understand about drugs'.

Of the young public questioned, 90 percent stood 'against drugs' while nine in ten feel 'little or no pressure' to take drugs when with friends.

However, one in ten still believe that celebrities taking drugs was 'cool' whereas two thirds of parents are worried about its impact on their children.

While two thirds of adults think illegal drug use among the young generation is increasing, a staggering 83 per cent blamed their parents who "don't take enough responsibility" in favour of their children.

A disappointing 2 percent revealed they would be likely to tell their parents if they were consuming drugs, but two in three still think it better to share it with friends.

The charitable trust traced the familiarity of the drugs situation to the present generation of parents that grew in raving culture of the 1980s. "The rave generation of the 80s have grown up and become parents," the Daily Star quoted chief executive of 'Addaction', Deborah Cameron, as commenting on the survey's findings.

"This should give us the basis for more realistic discussions between parents and children about drugs, but our concern is that the demonisation of these issues often means the debate takes place in a moral panic."

She further added: "We want to encourage a much more open dialogue within families about drugs and alcohol."

The charity has decided to launch a 10 million pound appeal on October 6 to evoke a reaction against the rising scale of drug and alcohol abuse among the young people in the UK.

ANI