Catch up TV

Series 1: 3. Uppers and Downers

In Fife, Scotland, 50% of 15-year-olds say they’ve been offered drugs, and three young people lost their lives to drugs in just one month in 2023. We ask what it’s like to grow up in an area with a history of generational drug use, where you can get 'half a gram quicker than you can get a taxi.'\n \nOn a Friday night in Methil, a group of teenagers are on a night out at the Dam, a picturesque riverside spot. They listen to music and mix weed, cocaine and alcohol together late into the night.\n \nIn another part of Fife, Jamie and Abbey from Clued Up, a local charity that supports young people impacted by substance use, are on an outreach drive. They meet local users and provide support to manage their drug use. Some have drunk alcohol, others have taken harder drugs: cocaine and ketamine mixed together. Jamie reveals his own relationship with drugs. Although not a user himself, he recently lost his dad, a heroin and crack user, to a suspected overdose. This motivates him to help young people in the area have a healthier relationship with drugs. \n \nSky, 17, grew up in care and smoked her first joint at eight years old. She’s been living in temporary accommodation for ten months and since the age of 14 has been working closely with Abbey from Clued Up to help with her drug use. Sky has aspirations to find permanent housing and build a career. Abbey visits Sky and helps her apply for permanent accommodation. Will her application come through, and what does the future hold for her?\n \n'Cam,' 16, is a drug dealer who sells weed largely to school friends. He got his first joint from his mum, who knows he’s a dealer. He believes his clients most likely use their lunch money to buy the drugs off him. He thinks 'if they are old enough to buy it, they are old enough to deal with the consequences.'\n \nIn another part of Fife, Andrew, 20, has recently come out of prison for a drug related incident. Andrew’s parents were heroin addicts and he was placed into foster care. With the help of Clued Up, he is trying to build his life back after prison and regulate his drug use.

Source: BBC 3