Primary pupils push drugs

Children as young as 5 are among the thousands of students who have either been stood down or suspended after bringing alcohol and drugs to school.

Figures released by the Ministry of Education under the Official Information Act show that in 2004, at least 3116 students were either stood down or suspended for bringing drugs and alcohol to school. Up to 135 were aged between 5 and 10.

Many brought alcohol and drugs to school to "show off" to their friends. In more sinister cases, intermediate and college students sold drugs in the playground, sometimes on behalf of their parents. The worst offenders were 14-year-olds.

Cannabis was the most common find but some students admitted having prescription pills at school. Pure methamphetamine, or "P", did not appear to be a problem in schools.

A 10-year-old was stood down from Kerikeri Primary School after handing out cannabis in the playground. Principal Karen Holmes said: "He had been given it by his older brother. He brought it in to show off, really."

Mrs Holmes said the figures were "frightening... really scary" but the school did not have an issue with drugs. "I know more intermediate-age kids are getting more involved."

Niels Rasmussen, principal of Rotorua's Sunset Primary School, said drugs and alcohol were trickling down from high schools. Two years ago, he stood down a 10-year-old boy who had brought cannabis to school and tried to hand it out.

"If kids see parents smoking dak or popping pills or drinking a lot of alcohol, especially in their daily lives, what you or I might find disturbing becomes the norm."

Children, he said, tended to steal drugs while their parents partied. "Anything that's left out at home is fair game for little eyes and hands."

Paul Thomas, a former police officer, now runs Elite Dog Services. His drug-sniffer dogs regularly search about 40 secondary and intermediate schools.

He has met 13-year-old students who were dealing on behalf of their parents before the morning bell.

Mr Thomas had never searched a primary school and said very young children caught with drugs could simply be showing off.

Rebecca Williams, director of Alcohol Healthwatch, said standing children down or suspending them disrupted their education and left them out in the community "getting them into deeper trouble".

"It would be much better if other avenues were explored as to what's going on in that young person's life."

Mrs Williams said alcohol was a different issue for younger students, "a showing-off sort of thing". But "the younger it gets, the worse - it couldn't get any worse, really".

Dr Mike MacAvoy, Chief Executive of the Alcohol Advisory Council, was "absolutely astonished" at the age of children bringing alcohol to school. But he was not surprised to hear 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds were involved and said at that age, teachers and parents had little influence.

"It's really more important what your friends say."

Parents could help by keeping alcohol out of reach and teaching their children that a good night did not mean getting so drunk you couldn't remember it in the morning.

Teenagers 'just trying to be cool'

Students say "heaps" of 13 and 14-year-old students are selling cannabis at school, with many hiding it in their shoes, socks and schoolbags.

"They don't care ... they do it on the field, in the corners.

"It's mainly about the money," one Auckland student told the Herald on Sunday.

Two 14-year-olds from a prominent Auckland high school, said they knew others as young as 13 who regularly smoked cannabis at school.

"They try to hide it, they have eye drops ... They don't bring alcohol to school, just cigarettes and weed. But most of them get expelled."

Neither girl had heard of alcohol or drugs being taken to primary schools. "But at intermediate, yeah. I did notice a couple of people [with cannabis] at intermediate."

Another girl told of how she had been caught with a bottle of wine at Tamaki College. "They took me to counselling sessions and asked if I had a drinking problem. I said, 'No, I was just trying to be cool."'