NEW FEARS OVER DEADLY CAPSULES

As fatal overdoses increase, seizure of
banned Temazepam shows drug abusers are finding new supply lines

THE dramatic rise in drugs deaths in the west of Scotland is being
fuelled by a resurgence in the use of Temazepam - two years after the
government changed the law in an attempt to block its supply.

The capsule form of the tranquilliser is being smuggled in from abroad
in large quantities by dealers posing as pharmaceutical wholesalers,
according to public health experts and Strathclyde police.

The news has prompted Paisley North MP Irene Adams to table a series
of questions in the Commons in an attempt to establish the scale of
the problem.

So far this year 54 people in Strathclyde have died from overdoses -
more than in the whole of 1997. If the trend continues, the year's
toll could overtake the record 102 drugs-related deaths in 1995.

Until now the sudden availability of high-purity heroin had been
blamed for the upturn but Dr Laurence Gruer, Greater Glasgow Health
Board's addictions coordinator believes the re-emergence of Tenazepam
is even more significant. "It is actually rare to find someone has
died taking heroin alone," he said. "It has almost inevitably been
taken as part of a cocktail with Temazepam or Valium."

Until recently, Temazepam was one of the most widely abused drugs in
the west of Scotland. Gel from the capsules - which cost 75p each -
was melted down and injected. In some cases, the gel solidified,
resulting in amputations.

In 1996, however, under pressure from Adams, the government banned GPs
from prescribing it in capsule form in an attempt to block supplies.

Today, only 900mg or less of Temazepam can be brought into Britain
without an export licence - and even then it has to be accompanied by
a letter from a GP. Import licences are only granted for the tablet
form of the drug.

The new legislation had an immediate impact, reducing Temazepam's
availability. Gruer said the change in the legislation contributed to
a slump in Strathclyde's drugs deaths in 1996 and 1997, but added that
new supply lines had now been established on the Continent.

"lt shows that for every action taken, there is an equal and opposite
reaction," he added. "The same thing happened when GPs decided on a
voluntary ban on the prescription of Temgesic in the early 1990s - it
just pushed more people into taking heroin."

Six months after the change in the law, small quantities of a
home-made version of the drug were already appearing.

In the last two months alone, officers have recovered 500,000 capsules
in three separate raids.

Detective Chief Inspector Henry Harvey said: "The Temazepam capsules
we are finding now are filled with a clear liquid like olive oil
rather than the yellow gel, but they are exactly the same strength. We
believe they are being manufactured on the Continent but so far we
have been unable to establish where."

Adams, whose constituency bore the brunt of Temazepam abuse, is trying
to find year by year figures for drugs deaths in which Temazepam was a
contributing factor.

"It would be very disappointing to find the capsules were back after
all our efforts," Adams said. "But if it turns out they are being
brought in from abroad, then I will be campaigning for a Europe-wide
ban."

Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"