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One tenth of the more than 52,000 drug convictions in the UK involve children, according to figures revealed by MP Chris Grayling. The shadow Home Secretary, said: “I just can't understand how Gordon Brown can be so complacent about the social problems in Britain today.

"What clearer sign can there be of a broken society than thousands of children receiving hospital treatment for substance abuse. More and more children are also facing prosecution for drugs offences.”

Each week, according to the figures, more than 100 under-18s are convicted of drug offences. Home Office figures also reveal that 35 children every day need hospital treatment for substance abuse. The number of convicted youngsters on drugs has almost trebled in ten years (2,749 convictions in 1998 and 6,730 in 2008).

As the Home Office study revealed that drug offenders go on to commit at least five more crimes a year, Mr Grayling blamed the figures on the Government for sending out a mixed messages. Only 17% of people caught with cannabis are prosecuted, despite police reporting a 40% increase recently in the number of people caught with the substance.

Mr Grayling said: “This Government’s policy on cannabis has been all over the place, so it’s hardly surprising that the policing of cannabis use is chaotic too. If Ministers give out muddled messages they shouldn’t be surprised if the result is confusion.”

But the Home Office defended the figures, saying: “Police must have a proportionate response to cannabis possession. It is simply not practical to seek prosecutions for high-volume, low-level offences.”

5 March 2010

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