Belgium’s drug users getting younger

3 August 2004

BRUSSELS – Belgian children now experimenting with drugs at an increasingly early age, it emerged on Tuesday.

Drug rehabilitation centres are coming across more and more children as young as nine or ten who are drug takers, reported Het Nieuwsblad and Het Volk.

“Last year, we took in 32 children who were less than 15 years old. Five were nine and four were ten,” said Jan Theuwen, director of the Kompas firm in Courtrai.

The children were mainly trying cannabis, the report added.

New Belgian laws that have eased restrictions on soft drug consumption continue to ban children from taking them.

This message is clearly not being communicated in the right way, said Theuwen.

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Belgian news