Children in primary schools think cannabis is a medicinal drug which is legal, says a new survey.

The research carried out by the Life Education Centres charity follows media coverage of the proposed re-classification of the Class B drug to make it the lesser Class C.

The charity, which has its national training centre in Bradford, conducted a survey among its specialist teachers who work in mobile units across the country.

They reported a high degree of confusion among young children about the status of cannabis. The report shows many children believe the drug is now legal and safe to use. Some even believe it is a type of medicine.

Two thirds of the Life Education trainers polled said they believed the proposed reclassification of cannabis could encourage more children to try it. Four fifths of them said they thought their work on drug prevention would become more difficult as a result.

Stephen Burgess, national director of Life Education Centres, said: "The very public debate about cannabis, much of it downplaying the potential harm, coupled with proposals to reclassify the drug, appear to have confused many children.

"With the so-called medical claims as well, it is perhaps not surprising that some even believe cannabis to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

"In the lead-up to the proposed reclassification, all of us involved with education must redouble our efforts to ensure our children are fully aware of the dangers and have the skills to resist temptation."

The purpose of the survey was to discover any changes in discussions of drugs with children, which Life Education can use to improve its programmes.

Life Education Centres (LEC) is the largest charity provider of personal, social and health (PSHE) education in primary schools. Its mobile units tour playgrounds to help equip youngsters to make healthy choices over their own lives. Rather than being told not to take drugs, they are given the confidence to make their own decisions and overcome peer pressure.

Bradford has three such units thanks to voluntary sector donations, which means more local youngsters have access to the training than anywhere else in the country.

When the Life Education specialist teachers were quizzed, the great majority - 86 per cent - said children thought cannabis was legal and 79 per cent said children believed it was medicine.

Jan Forshaw, of Education Bradford, who is the national training co-ordinator for Life Education, said: "We give them information in an age-appropriate way. We know that nine is the average age at which children begin to experiment with tobacco. This survey on the use of cannabis shows they think it is legal, since the reclassification has been discussed in the media.

"But you can still go to prison."