schools has left the results more than a year late.

The National Drug Commission, which was granted $1.75 million in the government's February budget -- a 46 percent increase over the previous year -- has previously blamed the delayed findings on staff shortages.

But The Royal Gazette has learned the Virginia-based US research company which the NDC paid to carry out the project, botched the job.

Until this week the company was not even aware that Bermuda's school system had undergone major reforms since 1994 when it carried out the previous drug study at schools, an NDC researcher has admitted. In October last year every high school student in Bermuda filled out a confidential survey on their use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco for the first time ever and the NDC announced the findings would be available within weeks. Since then the release of the report has been pushed back indefinitely. It is now hoped the findings will be released before Christmas. NDC research officer Dr. Julie Dunstan was recruited in August and charged with repairing the damage and getting the project back on track.

"The group in Virginia took all the surveys, collated all their data and did all the analysis,'' Dr. Dunstan said.

"Unfortunately no one mentioned to them that the school system here had changed. It means all the results of their research are misleading. What they have done is like comparing oranges and lemons,'' she said.

"Now I have to go right through all of their analysis and rework it so we get accurate findings.'' She said a representative from the Virginia company -- which she would not name -- was due to arrive in Bermuda this week to help fix the botched figures.

SURVEY SUR