Pubdate: Thu, 03 Feb 2005
Source: Evening Times (UK)
Copyright: 2005 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited
Contact:  http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3252
Author: John McCann
Cited: Scotland Against Drugs http://www.sad.org.uk/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?131 (Heroin Maintenance)

REVEALED: GLASGOW'S 'SECRET' HEROIN USERS

THEY usually hold down good jobs and enjoy happy and fulfilled family
lives.

Many have excellent qualifications and seem to be in the best of
health.

But a shock report today exposes the double lives of Glasgow's secret
heroin users.

Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University studied 100 people in the
city who used the drug at least 10 times a year.

But unlike previous studies, most of those taking part had
qualifications, good jobs and comfortable homes. And they felt their
drug use was not a problem.

The findings, published in the British Journal of Health Psychology,
sparked an angry response from anti-drug groups.

Alastair Ramsay, of Scotland Against Drugs, said: "I have a concern
that there's an image portrayed by this research that for all users
there's no complication likely to set in.

"The implications of problematic heroin use affect us all when many of
them choose to fund their habit by criminal means."

Shona Robison, SNP health spokeswoman, said: "Heroin has devastated
communities across Scotland and any attempt to normalise its use is
not helpful."

The UKP114,000 study, funded by the Scottish Executive, suggests some
people are using heroin regularly in a "controlled" way.

Dr David Shawn, from Glasgow Caledonian University, said many subjects
in the survey had good careers - despite using the drug occasionally
over a long period of time and having no contact with support groups.

He questioned the Government's response to heroin, saying it could
miss the real issues that led people to dependency and sometimes death.

Dr Shawn said: "No substance, including heroin, is in itself going to
lead to addiction or the problem behaviours the Government is trying
to deal with.

"A war on drugs is not the approach to take.

"Instead of blaming a range of society's ills on one drug, we need to
tackle the social and health problems that can lead some people to
become addicted, more than taking a criminal approach."

Dr Shawn said the group started taking heroin later than most
users.

"A majority of the group did not report health problems as a result of
their use of the drug," he added.

"And where there are problems, such as overdose, these are often
linked to use with other drugs, particularly alcohol."

But he warned: "That does not mean heroin is safe - it is a dangerous
drug."

"There are more health problems associated with alcohol use but a
higher proportion of people using heroin will become addicted and have
severe problems."

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said: "This research adds to a
small body of evidence that suggests there might be a place for
prescribed heroin to a small number of addicts who do not respond to
all other forms of treatment.

"We do not feel that this evidence is as yet convincing and there are
no plans for such an approach in the immediate future."

A spokesman for Glasgow's addiction services said it would consider
the report carefully.

But he added: "The scale of heroin use dealt with by the Addiction
Partnership in Glasgow is significant and very closely related to
deprivation." 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake