YOUNG people in North Yorkshire are to be questioned on their attitudes to drugs and alcohol in a bid to target health resources more effectively.

"What's Your Poison?" is the title of the survey of 15 to 21-year-olds being undertaken by the Harrogate and District Drugs and Alcohol Reference Group (DARG).

The group includes members of the NHS, social services, the education and youth services, police probation, Harrogate Borough Council, and other organisations.

The current level of substance misuse among young people in the Harrogate area can only be assessed by the number of drug-related crimes reported to the police, and drug-related casualty figures form local hospitals.

The survey is intended to address this shortage of accurate information and in doing so promote a greater awareness of the drugs and alcohol problem locally.

Detached youth workers will distribute 2,000 questionnaires to young people during the summer and autumn.

The questionnaires are strictly confidential and will invite the respondents to indicate which substances they have used, where they obtained the money and where they obtained information about particular substances.

Most importantly, the young people will also be invited to say what they would like to see happen and what services they would like to see developed and improved as a result of this survey.

DARG chairman Rob Hughes said: "Information on the use of alcohol and drugs by young people locally is poor and fragmented.

"We want to consult young people to get an idea of what they want to see in the way of services and we want to use the information obtained from the survey to enable resources to be targeted effectively for the benefit of young people in the area."

He added this was a welcome example of work involving a variety of statutory and voluntary agencies in the community, as required by the Government policy "Tackling Drugs Together".

Email: andrew.hitchon@ycp.co.uk