Drug epidemic: Cocaine found in a 5-year-old’s bag at top private school in Glasgow, Scotland

Cocaine has been found in the schoolbag of a five-year-old at a prestigious private school in Glasgow, Scotland.

Police and social services were notified after staff at the Glasgow Academy found the class-A drug in the girl’s bag weeks ago, the UK’s Mirror reported, citing the Scottish Daily Mail.

“To say this has rocked everyone in the school is an understatement. The main concern is for the child,” a source reportedly 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.”

The number of adults using cocaine in wealthy areas of Scotland has doubled to 4 per cent in 2023 from 2 per cent in 2021, according to the Scottish Health Survey.

Australian use of cocaine is even higher. A 2024 report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare said 4.5 per cent of the population had used cocaine in the 12 months prior, with Aussies leading the world in using the illicit drug on per-capita consumption.

“This deeply distressing incident hammers home the drug epidemic Scotland is facing,” Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservative health spokesman, reportedly said.

“It does not bear thinking about what might have happened if this child had ingested this dangerous substance.”

Glasgow Academy, founded in 1845, has more than 1500 students aged between 3 years and 18 years old and it charges as much as £17,040 ($32,000) per pupil.

A spokesman for Glasgow Academy declined to comment on the matter, the Mirror said.

“Where any concern is raised, we act on it promptly and work closely with families and relevant authorities to keep every child in our care safe.”