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Drugs organisation reports huge increase in youth referrals due to mephedrone

1 min read Health
Drugs organisation Forum for Action on Substance Abuse and Suicide Awareness (Fasa) has recorded a dramatic rise in its referrals of young people in the past 12 months, due to a surge in the popularity of legal highs such as mephedrone.

The Belfast-based organisation has seen an overall increase in drug-related referrals of almost 300 per cent between January 2009 and January 2010. A minimum of 25 per cent of these clients are aged 18 and under, and amount to approximately 1,000 young people.

In the past year the organisation has had its government funding cut by three per cent.

Fasa team leader Alex Bunting said: "It doesn't sound like much, but against the backdrop of our growing client base, we just don't think this cut is justified. And we're expecting further cuts this year.

"Mephedrone is definitely part of the reason for this rise. I think that the lack of services available to young people across the sector and the negative effects of the recession are also to blame," he added.

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