Teens and hard drugs

[jellyfish70]

I've name changed for this. My DD has recently told me that some of her fellow 6th formers are taking cocaine, ketamine, MDMA.
I knew many of them smoked weed but I am quite shocked at the prevalence of these hard drugs at that age. I thought they were expensive for a start. Luckily my DD isn't in to it, she likes to drink on nights out but doesn't smoke and is working really hard at school. So while I don't have personal worries, should I do something about this information or will the school not be interested?

Following this thread with interest, I'm in the same boat. My DD16 is very open and honest with me about what goes on at parties (and other kids sleepovers etc). There are some hard drugs (as mentioned by OP) and it's frequent use as well.

I'm not concerned for my own DD, she would never touch drugs. And it's not actually happening at school, drugs aren't brought into school at all, also not happening on school buses or before school....it's all evenings and weekends.

Would the school be interested at all? I know names, places etc. (It would have to be anonymous as I couldn't risk losing my DD's trust)....would the police be interested (possibly to find out who is supplying these kids?)

Lots of people on here saying it's common, but is it so commonplace that the school aren't interested? I really don't know if I should get involved and report this or will I just look silly?

I don't believe the type of school or area makes a difference tbh, ours is an
Outstanding rural school with children from mixed backgrounds. The main 'druggy crowd' seem to be boys mostly, from well off homes (lots of pocket money and designer clothes) with parents who are very uninvolved (away and out the house a lot, allow frequent sleepovers at mates houses mid week etc.) they have long since lost interest in school work etc. Their only focus seems to be drugs (constantly talking and bragging online and in person about their drug fuelled weekends etc.)

So as I said....watching this thread for advice and others experience.

I had to tell her what he was doing because she was going out of her mind and I didnt even know the woman.

You knew this boy was doing a drugs run and you didn't tell the police?

@DizzySue Lots of people on here saying it's common, but is it so commonplace that the school aren't interested? I really don't know if I should get involved and report this or will I just look silly?
They will be interested. You will 100% not look silly. Just because it's common doesn't mean we're ok with it or have switched off to it!

Well I called the school today anonymously. I didn't give names. I spoke to the head of 6th form who was interested. I was asked for names but as I don't have evidence I didn't feel it was fair.
It's up to them what they do with it but I would hope that as a parent , some general info might be sent to all parents. At the very least it could spark a conversation between parent and child.

"County lines and drug taking are big concerns and we can't pretend they don't happen but it's also wrong if we were to talk about it as if it is just something we should accept as normal."

We are rural and not far from the county border, and county lines are a massive problem in our local market town, which has quite a large weed problem. I don't know about other drugs.

"some general info might be sent to all parents. At the very least it could spark a conversation between parent and child."

Sadly it would be a brave head to do that as it is the kind of thing that makes the local Facebook go mad. As much as most of us agree it is the kind of thing that happens in practically every secondary school (although I maintain it is a small number in each school) there will be parents who don't realise that and thinking that their little darling might be exposed to such things would have them move schools without realising the next school won't be any different.

All the schools in our town have problems with knives and gangs but it is the one school with the head teacher who contacted the police and got it sorted without brushing it under the carpet that got the reputation for being the school with the knives and it's taken a while to shake that off.

I left school in 1994 and smoked weed and drank in year 9. Speed by 16. I thought it was pretty normal.
I'm a teacher now and am surprised thay its now common for year os to have Cocaine, Ket, MDMA etc. I feel its too young but can also see im being hypocritical

Phoning the school anonymously and giving no names is a complete waste of time.
The school will have an idea what is going on, they will know names of those involved. They can not do anything without evidence.
They will not communicate general issues with drugs and alcohol with parents- what on earth would they say?

Well perhaps they can build more talks with students about awareness if not parents. My DD tells me there has been nothing about alcohol or drugs since she started in the 6th form. Seems crazy to me as that's possibly the most likely time as they start to earn money and have more independence. I'm glad I did something rather than just accept that it happens.If it was my child, I'd hope there would be help/support/guidance of some sort at school. They have posters about FGM and arranged marriage everywhere which is great but what about other risks?

Agree that school should be informing 6th formers about drugs & alcohol. Lots of schools continue with pse type lessons - my current school definitely does and makes the drugs information relevant to the age group. They also have a well publicised connections with the local authority drugs awareness/counselling service and bring them in to do sessions and role play. When I was a 6th form tutor I learnt quite a lot about drugs, availability and trends! So maybe there is room for your school to improve in supporting students in this area. Interestingly, my daughter went to a 6th form college and got NO information of this type so things do differ between organisations. Most parents are quite oblivious to what goes on and lots of teens are good at hiding things from parents too. I have had issues with my DS16 mostly due to him not wanting me to know what his mates are upto - he worries that I will get involved.

Good that you rang them. In my day - middle class town - there was weed, pills, LSD and speed. Cocaine was unheard of. In same town today cocaine is rife. Not sure what teens do. County lines is a big problem. For every year of young people who experiment there will be up a few whose lives are ruined, through mental health etc. That's what I notice.

I was a teen in the 90s and everyone was taking ecstasy acid and speed. We took it every weekend and had the time of our lives. I am in my 40s now and lead a very normal boring life !

I have seen drug use as normal and widespread as long as I've been an adult. I think there is a judgemental and naive attitude sometimes in Mumsnet.

Taking an E is actually very safe in terms of the mdma ingredient. If drugs were legal they would be less dangerous.

I am not shocked or surprised that teens try drugs.

Op in terms of cocaine - the UK is awash with it it is certainly not just rich bankers. I used to work in pubs and we were cleaning empty cocaine wrappers from the toilets every single night. This was 15 years ago in a very normal part of London. People from builders to accountants were doing it ...not just at the weekend either.

I had some amazing times taking e and acid at raves. People on Mumsnet seemto think drugs are just inherently bad.

That is the problem though waterrat the drugs are not always clean and can be cut with all sorts. Cocaine is made in South America using cement and petrol to arrive at the final substance. That's not to mention the crime that goes on in supplying the drug. Please don't see it under the carpet as 'a bit of a rite of passage.' I'm in my 40s and have never touched a drug apart from alcohol, nor had any friends that did.I was not that sheltered at all.

Please don't sweep it under the carpet.

Hard drugs are readily available to all teens

I have regular and frank conversations with my teens, including telling them what I did (which wasn’t a lot because I just never really liked it)

I am so far sure they aren’t tempted even though both of them have been around a lot of drugs. One important recurring conversation has been about ‘making your mind up about what you WANT to do with drugs’. I.e. do you want to take coke? (And becomes a dickhead) Do you want to waste your hard earned cash on mdma? (Which is unlikely to have much actual mdma)

And when they’ve decided what drugs they think they’d like to try, which as it turns out was acid (!). Then I’ve talked them through and rehearsed how this will react if they find themselves in a group where they are all doing drugs. This rehearsing seems to have given them confidence to say no when under pressure. So far.

I absolutely resent having to have these conversations, but they appear to be completely necessary since they can get coke easier than a packet of fags.

I have no issue about my own DDs, they are both anti drugs.