9-Year-Old Drug Dealers Suspended For Selling Cannabis In School Playg

[grace]

A group of nine-year-old boys have been suspended from school after being found selling cannabis in the playground.

 

The four boys were apparently selling the drug for as little as 50p a time, on behalf of another boy.

 

Their parents were called into school to meet teachers and police but because of their ages, the boys were given only a youth referral order by police.

 

Parents outside the school yesterday expressed their shock at Friday’s ‘disgraceful’ incident.

 

But the mother of one of the suspended boys said it was a reflection of how bad the area had become – and vowed to move her family to another town.

 

She said her son had told her the drugs had been sold in the school playground in an enterprise headed by another boy.

 

‘He’s told me that he felt he was being pressured to collect money and hand out drugs,’ she said.

 

‘He said there was an operation where one child would take the money and another would hand out the drugs. It’s shocking and unbelievable. People I’ve spoken to cannot believe it. It’s scandalous.’

 

In August, children as young as eight were questioned by police on arson allegations after a block of under-construction homes in the area were set ablaze.

 

Deanne Marsh, acting head at Cherry Fold Community Primary School in Burnley, said: ‘I can confirm that four pupils are currently not at school while investigations are carried out into an incident at the school.’

 

Drug charities said the case highlighted the need for better drugs education.

 

‘Nine is an exceptionally young age but society has got rather complacent about cannabis,’ said David Raynes of the National Drug Prevention Alliance.

 

‘We’ve all got to be very aware and schools have got to have a policy – nine years old is not too young to be told about the dangers of drugs.’

 

Date: 6 October 2010

Source: Metro.co.uk

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/843121-9-year-old-drug-dealers-suspended-for-selling-cannabis-in-school-playground