Warning to parents as kids as young as FOUR caught with drugs in Scottish schools

New figures reveal CHILDREN aged FOUR have been caught using drugs in Scottish schools.

Since 2019, nearly 1,000 youth have been disfellowshipped for incidents related to cannabis and unidentified powders.

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Statistics obtained by the Daily Mail revealed at least one four-year-old has been banned from a school in Renfrewshire.

Meanwhile, at least one incident resulted in a nine-year-old being disfellowshipped in Edinburgh.

Elsewhere in the country, 11- and 12-year-olds have been involved in the incidents.

In Falkirk there were at least 25 disqualifications and in Dundee 19 children aged 13 to 17 were disfellowshipped over incidents involving e-cigarettes and bleach.

South Lanarkshire had the most exclusions with 120, followed by Aberdeenshire with 116.

Clackmannanshire was the only local authority not to have one.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are concerned by reports of drug possession or use by young children. We know that many people who later have drug problems started using drugs or alcohol at a young age.”

“We are taking a comprehensive approach to intervene and help those at risk of developing problem substance use.”

“It is important that young people are educated about the harms of substance use, and education is an important part of the actions we are taking as part of our National Mission to End Drug Deaths.”

A staggering 1,330 Scots died from drug abuse in 2021 – down by just nine from the previous year – and the second-highest annual total since records began in 1996.

Public Health Scotland’s quarterly Rapid Action Drugs Alerts and Response report showed an increase from 89 deaths in November 2021 and 93 in 2020.

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