Kids on drugs as young as six

Cases of prescription medication misuse by school children include substances such as ADD drug Ritalin, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication.

STUDENTS as young as six have been suspended from WA schools for misusing drugs.

Figures obtained by The Sunday Times reveal 368 suspensions were handed out in the public school system last year for substance misuse including alcohol, prescription medication and cigarettes.

It was a 10 per cent rise in suspensions from the previous year and included six students in years 1-5, including a pupil in year 1.

The bulk of the suspensions were handed out to students in years 8 and 9.

An Education Department spokesman said the suspensions did not necessarily mean the students were caught taking the drugs. They may have been found in possession of the substance or been caught trying to push it.

Cases of prescription medication misuse included substances such as ADD drug Ritalin, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication.

He said students should not be in possession of these drugs because they should be given to a teacher to store away in a locked cabinet.

Education Department acting statewide services executive director Eirlys Ingram said while schools could educate young people about drug and alcohol use, parents also needed to shoulder the responsibility.

"Rather than a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, schools are best placed to determine the needs of their particular students and to ensure that the drug and alcohol education provided is suitable for the age and circumstances of their students," she said.

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Kids on drugs as young as six