Nearly half the youngsters at a Billericay school have tried cannabis, police said today.
The information was given to police by youngsters - one aged as young as 13 - who were arrested as part of a police crackdown in Billericay.
Nationally, a survey by the Alcohol and Health Research Centre found that 35 per cent of children aged 15 and 16 had tried cannabis.
The 13-year-old boy, who gave some of the information to police, is believed to have been dealing the drugs to a large circle of friends.
Insp Richard Croft, of Billericay police, said: "One of those arrested was a 13-year-old boy for possession of cannabis.
"It appears that he had made contact with a dealer and was selling drugs to his circle of friends.
"This has come as quite a shock to the parents, as has the news that nearly 50 per cent of his age group at a school in Billericay has used cannabis. This problem is still prevalent and we would press for the parents to be on the lookout for the drugs."
Insp Croft did not reveal which school the teenage dealer attended, but claimed the cannabis problem was rife in the town.
Published Wednesday August 18, 2004
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