THE National Council On Substance Abuse (NCSA) met with liquor dealers yesterday to see how they could co-operate in efforts to stamp out alcohol drinking by children aged nine to 11.

Results of a National Primary School Survey on Drug Use, was presented to senior executives in the liquor business at the Island Inn Hotel, where NCSA manager Tessa Chaderton-Shaw said her organisation and the alcohol industry needed to work together to create positive synergies.

NCSA's research and information officer Jonathan Yearwood said 54 per cent of a sample of 1 975 pupils from 51 public and private primary schools used alcohol.

He said that within a 30-day period 40 per cent of the respondents had used alcohol.

Yearwood explained that some children were also confused about which beverages contained alcohol.

Chris Donowa of Hanschell Inniss said this was probably the chaser effect as some children said Coke (Coca-Cola) contained alcohol.

Donawa said the ground rules had to be set for what is alcohol instead of letting the urban effect take control.

Bernard Frost of Banks Breweries had some major concerns about the survey and said some of the numbers could probably be cut by a third as a number of critical areas had not been addressed.

Yearwood said the survey captured a wide variety of perspectives and followed a particular methodology.

The NCSA will use the information to help shape its primary school education programme.