Pubdate: Wed, 03 Sep 2008
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Page: 3
Copyright: 2008 Guardian Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: Alan Travis
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

VALIUM BEING USED AS CHEAP ALTERNATIVE TO HEROIN

Mother's Little Helper Is Back: Heroin Shortage Makes Valium The 
Street Drug Of Choice

Survey Reveals Soaring Use Of Illicit Diazepam

More Than 2m Pills Seized By Police In Last Two Years

Valium is making a comeback, but not as the "mother's little helper" 
prescription pill that tranquillised British suburban housewives in 
the 1960s and 1970s. According to an authoritative drug survey, 
published today, diazepam, as it is properly known, is being used by 
class A drug users as a cheap alternative to heroin.

The 2008 Druglink magazine street drug trends survey published today 
says the increased popularity of diazepam in the last 12 months 
reflects a drop in the quality and availability of street heroin in 
some parts of the country .

Despite successive bumper opium crops in Afghanistan the snapshot 
survey, based on evidence from more than 100 frontline drug treatment 
services and drug action teams, shows some areas experiencing 
outright shortages of good quality heroin.

The annual survey shows that street drug prices have remained 
generally static over the past 12 months. An ounce of skunk-type 
herbal cannabis now costs on average UKP 131 - against UKP 134 last 
year - and in some areas it is completely dominating the market, 
making it hard to get lower strength herbal and cannabis resin.

Martin Barnes, the chief executive of DrugScope, the drugs 
information charity which publishes the magazine, said the rise in 
the use of illicitly imported diazepam was a cause of concern, as 
drug users faced a high risk of overdose when it was used in 
combination with methadone and alcohol. "With the proliferation of 
counterfeit diazepam comes unpredictable quality and strength," he said.

The survey found that the use of diazepam, better known under its now 
defunct brand name of Valium, is rising in 15 out of the 20 towns and 
cities it covered. Known as "vallies" or "blues" a 10 milligram dose 
costs just UKP 1.

The drugs charity said it was being used as a heroin substitute, and 
often taken alongside strong alcohol or methadone as a "come down" 
from the jarring effects of crack cocaine. The two sedatives act 
together to create a powerful but potentially lethal effect on the body.

"A few vallies can buy a bit of time and ease some symptoms of 
withdrawal," reported a drug worker in Torquay, Devon. "Diazepam is 
increasingly popular amongst young people and it is increasingly 
available to them," said the manager of a young people's drug service 
in Newcastle. The Strathclyde police drug squad said there was a huge 
market for diazepam in Glasgow, with heavy drinkers and heroin and 
cocaine users all using it to stave off after effects.

Drug users say the main source is likely to be smugglers importing 
bulk quantities of legitimate supplies from France, Spain and Portugal.

Police and Customs seizures of diazepam have soared from 300,000 
pills between July 2003 and June 2006 to 2m between July 2006 and 
June this year.

The Serious and Organised Crime Agency has said that heroin shortages 
in some parts of the UK could have been sparked by a rise in the 
wholesale UK price since the start of the summer from around UKP 
13,000 a kilo to UKP 17,000 a kilo. Some criminal groups are reported 
to be having difficulty getting hold of what they perceive to be good 
quality heroin.

Barnes said that a heroin shortage might appear to be a positive 
development, especially as it could lead to more people undergoing 
treatment, "but it can bring its own problems. Users may be more 
inclined to inject rather than smoke the drug during times of 
shortage or poor quality. And there is a higher risk of overdose when 
the market readjusts to more normal levels of supply and quality".
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom