The revelation comes in the annual report of the Drug Advice Service and Helpline (DASH).

But the 12-year-old, referred to DASH for cannabis abuse, is not the youngest child seen by the charity. It has also helped a 10-year-old cannabis user in recent years.

In the past 12 months the charity helped a 16-year-old who was injecting heroin.

The shock report by DASH explains the biggest problem drug in the Island is cannabis, followed by cocaine and heroin.

It reveals the number of new clients under the age of 18 increased dramatically by 88 per cent following the appointment of a new young persons drug support worker.

There was a five per cent increase in the number of new people coming forward for help over the past 12 months.

The confidential drug service saw an extra 270 people who had not used it before, while access to the service rose by 45 per cent overall with existing clients using it more regularly and attending more appointments.

The majority of referrals of people under 16 were cannabis users.

Shelly Stanley, DASH director said: 'Drug use by young people does happen and while dependency is rare in early teens it is important confidential services such as ours continue to be able to reach people early to try to prevent drug use continuing into adulthood and improve outcomes for young people.'

The report says it was of great concern that DASH had seen an increase in the number of people using the service. It says this could be because more users wanted to leave drugs behind them or it could mean that drugs are more accessible or affordable.

It says the past year has seen a fall of 48 per cent in heroin users accessing the service — which could be due to better referral pathways to treatment or simply that the Island is following the trend in the UK with heroin users getting older. Their place is being taken by users of stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines or cannabis and alcohol.

But other problem drugs causing concern are the illicit use of benzodiazepines such as Diazepam and legal highs such as Mephedrone (referred to as 'Plant Food').

'This is significant if the Island is to meet the presenting change in demand for services,' notes the report.

'Services need to be geared towards this as stimulant drug users require very different services to those for cannabis or heroin users.'

The majority of those seeking help from DASH were dependent or on the verge of dependency and were spending, on average, between £10 and £70 per week. A small minority, heavily dependent, were spending £70 per week or more on their cannabis use.

Young people dependent on drugs are not common although it does occur — the majority of use under the age of 18 is experimental or recreational and drug dependency seen by DASH is generally in the late teen to late 20s, the largest drug using group.

DASH's latest annual report says that of those engaging with the service to address problematic drug use, 71 per cent were successful in stopping, compared with an average of just 11 per cent in the UK.

Miss Stanley said: 'This could not have been achieved without the dedication and expertise of staff and their clients working together.
'More people are back in work or education; family relationships and health improved and whilst difficult to measure on paper, the impact of that on communities cannot be underestimated.'

The 88 per cent increase in clients under 18 is being linked to the appointment of young person's drug support worker part-funded by Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales.

Chairman Hazel Hannan said funding this year had been a 'real concern.'

She said: 'At one point we thought we may not be able to carry on. Local support and donors who believed in our work helped us through a very difficult patch.'

The Department of Health and Social Services provides DASH with an annual grant of £64,450. Mrs Hannan said with limited resources and premises, the charity could only manage an increase in the number of clients by introducing waiting lists.

'This of course is not ideal,' she said.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Send your comments to newsviews@newsiom.co.im

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Shocking. That's all you can say. The amount of drug taking among children, never mind underage drinking, it's a disgrace and a black mark for the Island. What are these children's parents doing?? Apart from nothing. The parents of those children taking drugs and drinking should be punished, if not with custodial sentences then at least financial. Their children are their responsibility. It's about time the judicial system got off their collective backsides and started dishing proper sentences for these offences, the law is too soft on issues like these and far too often the sentences are lenient because of some sob story, what a load of nonsense. Everybody knows what right and what's wrong, even children of 10 so there's no excuses. This needs to be sorted asap otherwise the Island will end up like some parts of England and Scotland, and a bad rep would kill off any chance of a tourist industry – so get off your collective backsides MHK's too.
TimK

This report highlights the extremities in age of some users on the Isle Of Man. At least people are seeking help and using the services available. What we should really be concerned about in our society is the hysterical reaction of people like Tim K - instead of worrying about how the rest of the world might perceive us, and how this will effect our tourist industry, why not focus this energy in helping understand why children want to take drugs in the first place?
GLENN

Tim K has absolutely no idea what he is talking about! At the tender age of 13, I discovered my child was smoking cannabis. The one place I had always thought he was safe was at school, and guess what, this was where it was being sold! I went to the school and I informed the police. But this was just the start of a 3/4 year nightmare that my child and my family have had to endure. My child comes from a loving family, and gets the care and discipline that is required for a teenage child and has never been allowed been left to roam the streets, like many other children are. In the meantime, with the absence of any help from the school, I contacted the Drug and Alcohol Team to request help, and they insisted my child didn't have a problem. My child had turned from being a lively, clever, confident and outgoing child, into one who had become paranoid, abusive, violent, scared, lost weight, couldn't eat and couldn't sleep. Then the petty crime started and the selling of cannabis to feed their own own addiction. Believe you me, I haven't tolerated any of it! The police have been extremly helpful, they look to help kids rather than see them start off a life of crime and they should be congratulated on that. What chance do young kids have, if they are being offered drugs at school?? I know for a fact that the sniffer dogs attend the schools on a regular basis, but as the head of a certain school is aware of this, she ensures that all the well known trouble makers are off the school premises for the day, in order to protect the school's reputation. Really helpful don't you think? The school has a serious drug trouble and it needs to be addressed. I would hate for another child to suffer in the same way that my child has. Out of desperation 2 years ago, I contacted DASH. I cannot express enough how much Shelley Stanley and her team have helped not only my child, but myself as well. At the time, I was close to having a nervous breakdown and the first thing I was made aware of, is that I'm not the only parent in this situation. Shelley and her team actually take the time to get to know both my family and my child. The support they have given us and been second to none. There have been days when things have been pretty tough, and yet Shelley who was on her day off, still took the time to phone me or visit me at home. The rapport that she has built with my child, obviously remains confidential, but I trust her and I am thankful that my child has someone that they feel they can turn to and can understand why they feel the way that they do. Its unfortunate that there is such a high volume of children taking drugs on the IOM, but they will try it regardless of what their parents tell them or try to stop them like I have. We should just be grateful that we have Shelley Stanley and her team to guide us through such times and I personally would like to thank them for what they have done for me and my family. I hope the Government realise how precious DASH is, and continues to provide them with further funding to ensure that this services remains available to those who need it. I'd hate to think how things would be today if we hadn't have had them to turn to!
CONCERNED PARENT

Oh TimK; I'm sure you mean well but my goodness you do see things as black and white don't you?! If it was that easy the problem wouldn't exist. For your information there are plenty of well-meaning, well educated and proactive parents but that is no guarantee whatsoever. No parent is immune from such problems - ALL parents should keep that in mind. That's the very problem - the reason for this drug abuse isn't clear cut. However, saying it isn't clear cut doesn't help either. IMO this is a society and Government issue. Government in so much as I believe the Island rested on it's laurels for years and just would NOT admit that we had ANY problems of any such type here. Not just drugs, all sorts. This went on for far too long. They almost boasted about the lack of crime, lack of this and that. Rubbish. Denial is a hurdle that cannot be jumped. It would appear that illusion is very slowly being erradicated but it is very slow. Too slow. I would agree too, the Government MUST continue to invest in DASH (I'm assuming they do - please tell me they do??!!). I have had the privilege of attending some of their courses for Youth Work reasons and they were eye-openers and I don't live under a stone - I was still shocked about what I learned. Excellent team. All parents should be aware and take the opportunities that are offered around the Island to learn. Parents do have a responsibility but that is only a small part of the jigsaw.
SM