Huge rise in methadone treatment

THE number of drug addicts in Scotland receiving prescriptions for methadone has risen by 35 per cent over the past five years, according to new figures.

Campaigners said the statistics reflected the huge rise in people addicted to heroin as a result of its easy availability.

The Class A drug is currently available for about £30-£100 a gram depending on quality, with supplies from Afghanistan flooding the market.

Nearly a third – about 20,000 – of Scotland's addict population are on methadone.

Last year the number of prescriptions for methadone reached almost half a million and the cost of prescribing the heroin substitute was £12,683,660 for 2006-7.

Researchers at the Scottish Drugs Misuse database said 12,222 "new individuals" had been reported in the past year. Heroin remains the most common drug among those seeking treatment for addiction, with 68 per cent reporting using it.

The report shows that major gaps still exist in drug treatment services with nearly half of those reporting problem cocaine use – 44 per cent – being resident in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, which does not have a cocaine treatment centre.

The latest quarterly figures showing how long addicts waited for appointments and treatment were also released. These revealed that on 30 September, there were 3,410 people waiting for an assessment, with 731 waiting for more than a year.

There were 1,247 people waiting for an appointment for treatment after their care plan had been drawn up. Some 375 people had been waiting for this for more than 12 months.

Tam Hendry, the chief executive of Streetwork UK, which campaigns for homeless people, said: "There has been a dramatic increase in the use of heroin over the past five years, with the number of people injecting trebling. Eight years ago two out of ten young homeless people you might see begging were injecting heroin, but now it is about nine out of ten. This is down to the sheer volume and availability of heroin which is much greater than it has ever been. The main reason is down to the supply from Afghanistan, which seems impossible to halt."

But Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre for Drug Misuse at Glasgow University, disputed the link between cheap heroin and the rise in addicts seeking methadone prescriptions. He said: "All the Scottish Government statements talk about having a 'balanced array of polices' yet what we have is an over-prescribing of methadone for adults. We have no way of getting them off methadone and have created another addiction problem on top of heroin. What we do have is a desperate imbalance."

Fergus Ewing, the community safety minister, said the Scottish Government was launching a new drugs strategy next year.

Mr Ewing said: "These statistics present a stark snapshot of the challenges Scotland faces in endeavouring to tackle the scourge of drugs.

That is why this government is taking a fresh look at how we tackle drug misuse. We want to build on what has worked in the past, and build a new consensus on what could work in the future."

But the Tory leader Annabel Goldie called for a zero-tolerance attitude, with more investment in rehabilitation as well as harsher penalties for dealers.

She said: "Scottish Conservatives want an extra £100 million a year spent on rehabilitation as part of our biggest assault on drugs and crime ever seen in Scotland."

METHADONE: WHAT IT DOES

• METHADONE is a long-acting synthetic painkiller which mimics the effects of heroin but is less addictive. It is used as a substitute to try to wean addicts off heroin.

• Like heroin, it produces feelings of euphoria and sedation, but to a lesser extent.

• When taken in large amounts it produces side-effects similar to heroin including drowsiness, apathy and suppression of breathing reflexes.

• In excessive quantities, it will lead to coma and eventually to death.

• The first step in a methadone programme is a doctor issuing a prescription specifying the amount, the days it is to be administered, and restricting the person who can collect it to the addict only.

• Initially, a drug abuser is prescribed slowly increasing amounts of methadone to increase tolerance to the drug. The amount is then slowly decreased until they are cured of the need for the drug altogether.

• Some addicts remain on a steady dose to avoid them returning to heroin when the dosage drops. Some have created an alternative black market, selling their methadone doses for £2 a time.