Town has higher figures of child cannabis use

Vaping and smoking rates among teenagers in Rotherham are higher than average

Children in Rotherham use cannabis and vape at a rate higher than the national average for their age group, a survey has revealed.

All 16 of the town's secondary schools took part in research by Rotherham Council and pupils were questioned about how often they used a number of substances.

More than 7,000 students in Year 7 (ages 11 to 12) and Year 10 (ages 14 to 15) were eligible to take part and the survey had responses from 4,641 students.

The results found that vaping had increased significantly since the survey was last undertaken in 2017.

Home-educated children and students who attend pupil referral units were also included in the research, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Out of 3,371 students who answered a question about whether they had tried drugs, 10% said they had, including 90 Year 7 pupils.

The most common substances used were solvents, cocaine and magic mushrooms.

Students were asked separately about cannabis use.

More than a third of the 360 who responded reported using cannabis at least once in the last 30 days, compared with 10% of respondents nationally.

The survey also found that in the past 30 days, 33% of respondents admitted to vaping on at least three occasions, which is classified as "regular use."

This is significantly higher than the national average of 10% quoted in the report, for regular vaping among young people.

The data also shows that since 2017, regular vaping has increased significantly, especially among Year 10 students.

In 2017, 83 Year 10 students reported vaping regularly. This figure has nearly doubled to 162 in 2024.

Respondents were also asked if they had ever had an alcoholic drink (a full drink not just a sip) and of the 3,387 students who responded 38.6% (1,307) said they had.

Of the 285 students who responded to questions about smoking 23% reported smoking regularly, defined as at least three times in the past 30 days.

The report quotes a national average of just 3%.

Rotherham Council and campaign group Action on Smoking and Health have been approached for comment about the findings.

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