Legal Issues: Your Child & Drugs
 Do your children know the legal implications of using or being found with drugs? We outline the legal issues surrounding drug use and possession for minors.
Held To Account
It’s an offence to grow or manufacture drugs and to allow someone to use your home to use or sell illegal drugs. Under these two laws, parents may find themselves held responsible for their child’s drug use in the home.
Police Searches
The police can search your home without your permission, if they have a warrant. If they do have your permission they can search the house – including your child’s room, with or without the youngster’s consent, without a warrant.
Owning Up
Parents are not legally bound to tell the police if they know or suspect their children are taking or supplying illegal drugs. But if you find what you think is an illegal drug, you must either hand it to the police or destroy it.
School Rules
If a child is caught supplying drugs in schools it will always be regarded as a serious offence. Your child should know that the kid who shares a quarter of cannabis with his mates and happens to get caught will be regarded by the law, police and school as a drug dealer.
On The Record
If your child commits a minor drug offence and it is his first brush with the law he may receive a reprimand or warning. Both are recordable and citeable in court.
Charges: The Long Term Effects
If your child is charged with a drugs offence aged 17 or over (over 16 in Scotland) he or she could face a criminal trial. Being found guilty could not only result in possible imprisonment, it means a criminal record for life. That will affect their job prospects, stop them visiting certain countries (such as the US) and can affect their ability much later in life to obtain life assurance or a mortgage.
Class A Drugs
Heroin, cocaine and crack, LSD, ecstasy, non-prescription methadone, magic mushrooms (if made into a preparation), amphetamines (if prepared for injection) and any class B drug which is injected.
Class B Drugs
Amphetamines (if not injected), barbiturates, Ritalin and codeine.
Class C Drugs
Cannabis (in all forms), GHB, minor tranquillisers, anabolic steroids.
Not illegal
Solvents
For more information on drugs – read Judy Mackie’s Drugs: A Parent’s Guide from the Need2Know range of books. Click here to buy it online.
|
