A renewed push to enforce laws against youths using alcohol, tobacco or marijuana would complement other strategies, a Minister said yesterday.

And Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Paula Cox said anyone who sold the substances to underage users should feel the full force of the law coming down on them.

She said although the legal framework was already in place, if students still had "easy access'' to the substances as the recent National Drug Commission School Survey found, the laws were not working as they should.

Ms Cox was commenting on the newly released findings which revealed nine out of ten youths who used marijuana thought it was "easy'' to get their hands on the weed.

A high portion of students who drank alcohol and smoked also said getting the substances -- illegal for youngsters -- was "easy''.

A tough, enforced crime prevention stance would complement social and health strategies already in place, she said.

Ms Cox vowed: "If current laws are not stopping access, which these results seem to suggest, that is disquieting and something clearly has to be done about it and we will do that.'' "Clearly there is a need for us to make sure we give the Police the tools they need to make sure they can enforce the law.

"We don't want a Police state but we want to make sure Police have adequate tools and powers to make them effective in punishing any infraction of the law.'' She said increasing students interaction with Police and the community and improving parenting skills would also help to eradicate drug use.

"There are so many different issues tied up with this and its a matter of systematically tackling each of them.

"We already have the legal framework in place regarding licensing laws and sanctions against both youths and proprietors.

"We don't want to reinvent the wheel with laws but we have to look at why the framework is failing us.

"We don't want to criminalise youngsters where it can be avoided but we don't want to tread softly and we do have to uphold the law.'' Shadow Home Affairs Minister Micheal Dunkley echoed her call for the community to work as one to cut off supply and discourage use.

"This survey has cut to the heart of the matter which is the ease of access for young people to get their hands on marijuana, alcohol and tobacco,'' he said. "The community needs to get together and galvanise on it and realise we're not going to solve the problem unless we coordinate our effort.

"There can't be one section of the community or the government simply not interested, or passing the buck and saying it's not their direct concern -- it's everyone's concern.

"Most importantly now we need to get together with the schools and teach about the negative impact alcohol, tobacco and marijuana have on students' whole lives.'' He said it was time to make it clear that everyone "from checkout operators who sell alcohol to students to Police and legislators'' would have zero tolerance of drug use.

Paula Cox Graphic file name: PACOX Michael Dunkley