FOR several years, cannabis was regarded as a recreational drug. The conventional wisdom held that this potent relative of the tomato plant was relatively harmless and placed its users in no great danger. All this changed last year when a number of doctors established a link between cannabis and possible psychotic behaviour. This came in the wake of a number of mixed messages about use of the drug and confusion over what constituted breaking the law.

However, there is no lack of clarity as far as we're concerned. Taking certain stimulants must remain illegal for the good of society. There can be no halfway house.

For although the Worcester News welcomes the drop in the number of under-16s arrested for drugs offences, we note with extreme concern that there are children as young as 13 across West Mercia Constabulary's patch who are involved in the illegal consumption of narcotics. This is a truly frightening development in an area that is hardly a region blighted by poverty and urban deprivation.

The police are plainly doing their best to contain this epidemic. Social services and the courts will also be playing their respective roles in fighting this menace in our midst.

However, the various agencies cannot be expected to tackle this alone. The time has surely arrived when parents really must start to pull their weight if society is not to be lumbered with an underclass of under-achieving youth, dependency on the state, and cost to the taxpayer as a result of drug-related crime. Good citizenship, like charity, begins at home. There is now much work to be done.