This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fall in heroin and valium misuse
18/01/2005
Figures revealing a near eight per cent drop in the
number of people misusing heroin and valium since 2000 were
published today.
Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of
Problem Drug Use in Scotland, 2003 found that the estimated
number of people misusing opiates and/or benzodiazepines
had fallen from 55,800 in 2000 - the first year for which a
reliable estimate was established - to 51,582 in 2003, a
fall of 7.6 per cent.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said:
"The research published today shows a welcome fall in
the estimated number of Scots who are taking particularly
damaging drugs like heroin and valium.
"It is particularly encouraging to see a decrease
nationally in the numbers of addicts who are injecting.
This finding supports our most recent statistics on drug
misusers entering treatment - more of whom are getting
treatment, but fewer of whom are reporting injecting.
"However the fact that around one percent of Scots are
still misusing heroin and valium is a very real concern.
Progress has been made but we must step up action further.
Drug related deaths were down in 2003 but we cannot be
complacent. We are getting more addicts into treatment but
we must increase the numbers and intervene earlier.
"That is why last October we boosted treatment and
rehabilitation funding by £6 million to increase the number
of people entering treatment each year from 12,600 to
15,600 by 2006-07.
"We expect an expansion of drug treatment services
across the full range to increase the numbers entering
treatment, reduce waiting times and improve the range of
interventions available locally - such as abstinence
approaches, residential approaches, detox approaches, harm
reduction approaches.
"That's more lives being saved from the damage of drugs,
and more communities being protected from the crimes
carried out to feed an addict's habit.
"Hand in hand with treatment and rehabilitation we are
developing a stronger partnership between the criminal
justice and health services to get a firm grip on
drug-related offending and action to loosen the dealers'
grip on our communities
"We are on the side of communities plagued by drug crime
- and we are matching words with action. We will continue
to come after the dealers who are prepared to peddle death
for financial gain. And we will provide drug misusers with
the right services to make the right choices - for
themselves, for their communities, and for Scotland."
The research was carried out for the Scottish Executive
by the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at the University of
Glasgow and the Scottish Centre for Infection and
Environmental Health.
'Valium' is a trademark for the drug diazepam, one of
the family of drugs called benzodiazepines. They are
prescribed for conditions such as insomnia (difficulty
sleeping) and anxiety. Products are no longer marketed
under the trademark 'Valium'. A wide range of other
benzodiazepine drugs are prescribable.