A five-year-old student at one of Scotland's most prestigious private schools, Glasgow Academy, attended class with cocaine in his bag. Police and the child's parents were called to the school when teachers discovered the drugs a few weeks ago.
Community shaken by incident
The school, which charges fees of up to £16,660 per year, has left the local community shaken. A source close to the investigation said: 'We dread to think what might have happened had the child accidentally tasted the substance or even shared it with others. The outcome could have been devastating. We all hope the school board and management team are taking the matter seriously.'
Addiction expert calls for wake-up
Annemarie Ward, an addiction recovery employee at charity FAVOR UK, told The Scottish Mail the incident should be a 'wake-up call'. 'For too long, cocaine has enjoyed a strange social respectability in Britain. People who would never dream of injecting heroin or smoking crack think nothing of taking cocaine at weekends and dinner parties,' she said. 'Somewhere along the way, we stopped treating it as a dangerous drug and started treating it as a lifestyle accessory.'
'A five-year-old child should never be carrying cocaine into a classroom,' she added. 'If that image does not make us question our relationship with drugs as a society, it is hard to know what will.'
School's response
A spokesperson for Glasgow Academy said: 'We do not comment on matters relating to individual children, in order to protect their privacy and welfare. Where any concern is raised, we act on it promptly and work closely with families and the relevant authorities to keep every child in our care safe.'
Previous case involving young child
In 2021, a nine-year-old boy was arrested and accused of being 'Britain's youngest crack-cocaine dealer'. The primary school student was picked up for possession of the Class A drug with the intent to supply. Because he was under the age of criminal responsibility, he was not charged. Experts said it is likely the child, who lives in Cambridgeshire, was made to deliver the drugs for an older relative.
