One in five young balearic people smoke cannabis

One in five of young people in the Balearics has admitted to smoking cannabis, but the majority of 15 to 20 year olds are against the legalisation of drugs in Spain. The results sofar of a five year study of Balearic youth which started in 1997 and will be completed next year by the Balearic government were made public yesterday and one of the most interesting findings is that 48.5 per cent oppose the legalisation of drugs. 41.4 believe that drugs should be decriminalised while ten per cent did not answer. The results of the study show that while young people in the Balearics are the most tolerant towards drug use in Spain, there is a well balanced divide over the legalisation issue. The greatest feeling of anti-legalisation is in Palma and Minorca and it is the 15 to 19 year olds who have the strongest opinions. The survey has found that the 25 to 29 age group is the more liberal. Other interesting findings include that while young people in the Balearics approve of divorce, they disapprove of the death penalty. There is a strong movement for a greater sense of equal rights for men and women and growing support for abortion. The majority disapprove of nuclear energy and there is growing support for homosexuality, euthanasia and squatters'rights. 85.8 per cent, with the vast majority being in the 25 to 29 age group, are in favour of divorce while only 11.9 voiced an opinion against. Opposition to the death penalty is however much higher - just under 60 per cent oppose death row contrary to the 33.4 per cent who are in favour. With regards to equal rights between the sexes, there is very little division. 94.5 per cent support equal rights and a similarly high figure, 90 per cent, do not approve of political violence. Over three quarters of young people in the Balearics are against nuclear energy - only 13.5 per cent are in favour with the largest group of opponents being male, aged between 15 and 19 and living in the countryside. 65.3 per cent approve of abortion, 25.1 per cent are in favour. Homosexual relationships however still remain something of a taboo subject. While the majority, 75.6 per cent accept homosexual relationships, 16.6 still staunchly reject homosexuality. Euthanasia is also fuelling an interesting debate in the Balearics. 63.8 per cent of young people approve but 21 percent strongly oppose the right to end your own life. There is also a clear split over squatters and their rights in the Balearics. 47.3 per cent approve of squatters while 35.9 per cent firmly disapprove. The findings of the study show a very open, feminist and pacifist young society in the Balearics.