SHARP INCREASE IN DEATHS OF NON-DEPENDENT DRUG USERS

FEWER people died of accidental drugs overdoses in Scotland last year, but
the number of unknown or inexperienced users among the deaths rose sharply.

In total 263 people died from drugs last year, compared with the 267 who
died in 1996, the first reduction this decade.

More than half of the dead, 142, were addicts. But the other 121 victims
were not suspected to be drug-dependent, a big jump from 95 last year.

Many of the dead were either methadone users "topping up" with street drugs
or victims of the increasing trend towards taking cocktails of illegal and
prescription drugs together with alcohol - a combination blamed for the
death of the film star River Phoenix.

Autopsies on 149 showed that prescription drugs were four times more likely
to be present than illegal drugs, raising fears of the "leakage" of
prescription drugs onto the black market.

"We need to cut down on the availability of prescribed drugs," said Mike
Cadger, the director of the advice agency Crew 2000.

"We could be targeting families with the public health message that people
should use the drugs prescribed for them, then destroy them when they have
finished with them."

The figures do not include known suicides, or addicts who die in accidents
while on drugs.

B7 Scotland has the highest rate of death from solvent abuse anywhere in
Britain, according to the charity Re-Solve. Eleven young people died in
Scotland in 1996 from sniffing solvents such as butane, which is sold
freely as lighter fuel and used as the propellant in household aerosols.

Alex and Margaret Davidson, parents from Hamilton whose 18-year-old son
Christopher died of solvent abuse in 1994, are now setting up Scotland's
first parents' support group and have launched Britain's first solvent
abuse helpline. The helpline number is 01698 301865.

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson