Daily Mail 21st October 2008
More than 20,000 children under 11 were admitted to hospital because of drug poisoning over the last five years
Almost 100,000 children have been hospitalised due to drug poisoning in the last five years according to official figures today. One in five of the youngsters were ten-years-old or younger.
The drugs involved ranged from illicit narcotics and hallucinogens to legal antibiotics and other medicines.
Statistics gathered from every NHS hospital in England were released by the Department of Health in response to parliamentary questions from the Liberal Democrats, who said they painted a 'horrifying' picture.
Between 2002/3 and 2006/7 20,378 under-11s were admitted along with 39,536 11 to 15-year-olds, and 38,725 16 to 18-year-olds. Numbers of older teens being treated rose by 62 per cent over the period.
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: 'These are horrifying statistics. The toll of damage from drugs is immense and the cost to the NHS is enormous.
'Ministers must ensure that local services like hospitals, schools, councils and the police work together to ensure the lives of children are not destroyed by drugs.
'The Government must act on the basis of what works when it comes to drugs policy. The last thing vulnerable children need is a Prime Minister who disregards scientific advice just to appear tough.'
There were a total of nearly half a million (493,750) admissions to hospital for drug poisoning in the last five years in England, including adult cases.
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