Commenting on figures revealed today showing the number of under-16s admitted to hospital due to illegal drugs has risen by almost half in a decade, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Sandra Gidley said:

“These alarming figures reveal a wasted generation. How many more lives will be lost before the Government takes effective action?

“As a society we can’t go on seeing so many young lives wasted. We need better education and more powers to tackle the dealers who profit from this human misery.

“It is also important that those who want to turn around their lives should receive help in a timely fashion. The current system is tinkering around the edges of the problem.”