Ecstasy pills
IN PHOTO: Ecstasy pills, which contain MDMA as their main chemical, are pictured in this undated handout photo courtesy of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Molly is the street name for a drug that is commonly believed to be the pure powder form of the banned substance known as MDMA, the main chemical in ecstasy. Reuters/USDEA/Handout

Hundreds of schoolchildren as young as eight years old in Wales and England were caught in possession of class A drugs, including crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and cannabis, according to the latest data obtained from authorities. From March 2011 to December 2014, statistics showed “there were more than 2,000 [similar] incidents,” which were described by teachers as only “the tip of the iceberg.”

Such figures were gathered by news agency Press Association after requesting 34 police agencies regarding the frequency of seizing drugs from school vicinity. Of the 2,000 cases, 625 involved cannabis and 27 involved cocaine. Also included in the data were the level of school involved, kind of illicit drugs seized and personal information of students.

Other prohibited drugs seized were amphetamines and LSD from schools in Surrey, West Midlands, Hertfordshire and Greater Manchester. There were four incidents involving schoolchildren aged below 11, including a 10-year-old schooler from Leicester primary school, another in Greater Manchester “carrying £5 [$9.68] worth of the drug” and 8-year-old and 9-year-old in Staffordshire. They were caught with cannabis.

A 14-year-old was found to be in possession of heroin valued at £500 in Greater Manchester, while a 16-year-old was caught with the same drug worth £330. Overall, 241 incidents involved schoolers aged 15 and 16 and 231 involved students aged 11 and 14.

There were also cases where school employees and or parents were part of the felony. Greater Manchester Police reported a cleaner, aged 50 at a certain primary school, was found to be in possession of cannabis valued at £20. A gardener working for a college in Humberside was similarly caught. Also in trouble were parents — 19-year-old and 30-year-old — who were caught, in separate incidences, with cannabis and tranquilisers respectively.

Of the areas monitored by police forces in three years, schools in Hampshire had the highest record with 229 cases, Avon and Somerset had 144 incidents and West Midlands had 138 cases. In South Wales, there were 92 cases.

BBC reports that school supervisors and teachers are vigilant about the perils the students encounter on the streets, particularly about alcohol and drug abuse. But unfortunately for them, specialist support and other related programs relied by the schools in educating students about drugs and other illegal substances have been abolished.

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