One in four students has done drugs

One in four Faroese high school students has tried illegal drugs at least once.

This figure comes from a new survey conducted among students at the upper secondary schools (miðnám) in Tórshavn, Klaksvík and Kambsdalur.

The survey revealed a significant difference between the younger and older age groups.

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“Only about 5 percent of the younger students reported having done drugs, while for those aged above 20, the percentage reached 43,” says Terji á Lakjuni, a teacher at the Kambsdalur school, who conducted the survey together with colleague Christian Joensen.

The survey results reinforce the commonly held belief that there is a strong correlation between mental health and drug use.

“Those who said they had not done drugs also reported having above average mental health and vice versa,” says Lakjuni.

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Students were also asked whether they had been offered drugs.

About 56 percent answered yes to this question.

“Here we also saw a big difference in the age groups, with far more of the older students reporting having been offered drugs.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.