England sees fewer pupils smoking, drinking, taking drug

Smoking, drinking and drug use among secondary school students have decreased in England in 2013, according to the latest report released on Thursday.
The British Office for National Statistics on Thursday released a new report, saying a survey of secondary school pupils in England showed that the number of students aged between 11 to 15 smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs has decreased in 2013.
The survey was carried out by NatCen Social Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which began in 1982. A total of 5,187 students in 174 schools across England received the questionnaires last year.
As drug use was the emphasis of the report last year, it said 16 percent of pupils reported having ever taken drugs, little more than half the proportion in 2003, which was 30 percent. The proportion of young people who reported ever having taken drugs increased with age, from five percent of 11 year olds to 30 percent of 15 year olds.
Report showed 28 percent of pupil in the survey had themselves been offered drugs in 2013. The proportion of boys and girls took drugs was almost equal. And the most widely used drug in 2013 was cannabis.
In addition, the number of pupils who had smoked at least once last year was less than a quarter, which was the lowest level since the survey launched in 1982.
About three percent of pupils were regular smoker, which means they smoked at least one cigarette every week.
The report said 39 percent pupils had drunk alcohol at least once, which remains declining since 2003, when 61 percent of pupils had drunk alcohol.