Cannabis smoking is now so prevalent that the fire and prison services are having to recruit from overseas, according to Government Senate Leader David Burch.

He said there were plenty of would-be recruits who could not make it past the first hurdle with many inquiring whether the drug testing would assess their hair follicles or urine so they could gauge whether they could trick their way past the test.

His remarks, made in the Upper House yesterday, echo those made by Public Transport Director Dan Simmons in February who said hiring problems caused by widespread drug use are hampering efforts to improve bus services. Mr. Simmons had said a "significant portion" of applicants for driver jobs were caught out by drug screening.

And yesterday Sen. Burch said: "All our security services are having great challenges with recruitment, particularly Bermudians and it disturbs be greatly that particularly with the fire service to the greatest extent and the corrections service to a lesser extent are talking about having to go overseas to recruit.

"My real concern is that we need to send a message to parents and young people in this Country that smoking marijuana ain't going to get you to where you want to be.

"The vast majority, even though with all the numbers for recruitment numbers that turn up and sign up for the fire service and corrections, they can't make it past the first hurdle.

"It is so bad that you have people who ask the question — is it a urine test or follicles because they have figured out and done their research.

"It is sad. The widespread acceptance of marijuana smoking is going to be the stumbling block for so many of our young people. We need to send a message to parents and young people. I don't mind adults making their own decisions, no matter how silly they might be.

"But it is unconscionable to me to sit up in your house with little people and convey to them that this is all well and good. Adults need to stop doing things that could easily be characterised as child abuse."

Such children, schooled in drug use, then ran the risk of getting penalised over and over by getting convicted for drugs and banned from travelling and studying overseas, he said.

Sen. Burch also said during the Throne Speech debate in the Senate that overseas Police recruitment had been reduced because he believed that more Bermudians would turn to it as a steady career during the downturn.

He said he was collaborating with the Governor to improve Policing although he found it an unnatural relationship as most people held the Minister responsible for results.