Last Sunday, 10-year-old Jade Slack died of a suspected overdose of ecstasy, in what would be the youngest such death recorded in the UK. What do young people think about when they hear the word 'drugs', and what would they think if their parents had taken illegal substances?
| Anyone caught dealing drugs should be locked up for a very long time. I was quite surprised that a 10-year-old girl could get hold of ecstasy. |
Kelly, 10, Newcastle
I don't think people should take drugs, but if they start they just can't help themselves. I would never consider taking any myself. When I hear the word 'drugs' I think of ecstasy and cigarettes. When people die from them, well it's their fault really, but it still makes me feel sad. I wouldn't like it if my parents were taking drugs and I think I would get in a big mood. I think drug dealers should go to prison for a very long time, and if I found someone taking them or if someone forced me to take them, I would call the police. I think there are much better things to do for fun.
Shauna, eight, Montagu Estate
I do not like young people taking drugs because they could kill someone and I would never take them myself. My ma says 'Don't take drugs because they can kill you.' I feel sad when I see people on the news dying from drugs and I would feel mad if any of my parents were taking them. I would phone up the police if I found someone taking them. It's not acceptable to take drugs because you may die. If you don't take them you will have a happy life. It's really sad that a 10-year-old died from taking ecstasy. I think drug dealers should be taken to jail.
Andrew, 16, Wallsend
I don't think young people should be taking drugs, but some get addicted to it and they cannot get off them so they need help. I don't go to school anymore but when I did there were drugs being sold. I would not feel happy about my parents taking them and I would want them to stop.
Drug dealers should be put in prison away from the kids that they are selling the drugs to. Someone selling drugs could be very dangerous, so I would leave them be. If someone tried offering some to me I would say no and then leave. It's not really acceptable to take drugs, but then again Aspirin is one. Most drugs are harmful and can kill you. Not only that, some people can become aggressive and hurt others. I want to say that if you get offered something, try not to take it.
Jane, 15, Kenton
I don't think it's acceptable when young people take drugs because it's illegal and there are better ways to have fun. People getting high is what I think of when I hear the word 'drugs.' There are drugs going around my school. I have been offered some, but I said no. Sometimes, when I hear about people dying from taking drugs, I think it's their own fault and they should not have taken them in the first place. I suppose I would be upset with my parents if they had taken them, but it's their lives. Anyone caught dealing should be locked up for a very long time. I was quite surprised that a 10-year-old girl could get hold of ecstasy.
Kirsten, 12, Cowgate
It makes me feel bad when I hear about young people taking drugs because they shouldn't be doing it and I would never take them. There are drugs going around my school, but I have never been offered any. The only drugs I've seen are like medicine and stuff like that. If my parents had taken drugs I would be very upset and very disappointed. If I caught someone with drugs I would take them off them and stamp on them. I didn't know about the 10-year-old girl who died, but now that I do it makes me feel upset. All dealers should get a life sentence.
Gemma, 18, Fenham
When I hear the word 'drugs' I think of heroin addicts living in poor circumstances, people with no options and no way out. I have been offered some but I said that I didn't want to do it because it didn't interest me and I didn't want to put myself in danger. I think it depends on what drugs dealers are caught with as to how they should be dealt with.
If someone was high on drugs I would try to keep them safe, but if they were about to do some I would try to discourage them. It's not acceptable because of the damage they not only do to themselves, but also the others around them. I feel sad that a girl as young as 10 who has not really even started out in this world can have her life cut short due to taking drugs.
About the team
This story was produced by Roxanne Slade, 10, and Liam Caine, nine. Junior Jury is a weekly column published in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
