Source: The Scotsman, Edinburgh, UK (http://www.scotsman.com)
Contact: Letters_ts@scotsman.com

Addicts policy cuts drug deaths
Glasgow's controlled prescription of methadone and harm reduction
programme lead to 'declining trend of abuse' JIM McBETH

GREATER Glasgow's loyalty to its controversial drug harm reduction
policies has dramatically cut overdose deaths and halved the number of
addicts injecting heroin, it was claimed yesterday.

In the first six months of this year there were 11 drugrelated deaths,
the lowest figure since 1989, compared to 35 in the same period last
year and 36 in 1995.

Greater Glasgow Health Board's (GGHB) figures also indicate that last
year's estimate of 8,500 injecting addicts has fallen to 4,000, with
many deserting heroin to join 2,500 recovering addicts on a "uniquely
supervised" methadone scheme.

Until recently, GGHB was the only health board to pay pharmacists to
supervise addicts, to ensure they swallowed their prescribed dose, which
prevented methadone a synthetic heroin substitute leaking to the
street.

In other areas, it has reached the market and in recent weeks, three out
of five deaths in the north east alone involved leaked methadone.

The statistics, said GGHB "buck the trend" experienced in every part of
Britain, where drugs' overdoses are increasing, especially those linked
to methadone, where, in some cases, deaths involving the drug have run
neck and neck with heroin.

According to GGHB the "declining trend of abuse" offers a bonus for
society and is a vindication of the board's partnership with social
work, which combines drugfree and harm reduction services, the latter
criticised in the past as doing nothing more than encouraging abuse.

Dr Laurence Gruer, a consultant in public health, said: "It proves there
is room for both. Our research shows that non methadone using injectors
commit 26 offences per month. In methadone users it is eight.

"That can translate to a reduction of 500,000 possible crimes every
year, which would otherwise have a traumatic effect on the lives and
property of victims."

Property crimes, said Dr Gruer, are at their lowest for 15 months, a
fact confirmed yesterday by Strathclyde Police.

The reduction in drug use has also helped in the fight against AIDS.

The number of HIVinfected homosexuals represent one in 20 men while the
ratio for drug injectors is one in 100.

Dr Gruer added: "It is a vindication of policies formulated in
partnership with social work. Methadone and harm reduction has been
attacked and I have always spoken out against the drugfreeonly
approach, which tied our hands in the 1980s.

"Since 1995, with the right patient, delivery and supply, the
effectiveness of the methadone programme has been proved and Greater
Glasgow is bucking a national and European trend.

"Last year 80 per cent of drug related deaths involved a cocktail of
substances. Until the Government took action to ban Temazepam three
quarters of those deaths involved that drug. A further proportion of
deaths included up to five drugs, including alcohol.

"I'm happy to say that only a very small number of cases involved
methadone, which is why the Scottish Office is providing UKP1 million so
other authorities can follow our example.

Chris Spry, the chief executive of GGHB, agreed. "We're making progress.
We've always thought that those who attack our policies are ignorant of
how closely we supervise all our services."

Ian Gilmour, the senior depute director of social work, added: "We have
created 24 hour service, a reflection of the work that is being done to
tackle a serious problem."

Alistair Forsyth, of the centre for drug misuse at Glasgow University,
said: "I have colleagues whose research into nonfatal overdoses has
been significantly reduced by a big reduction in the number of people
overdosing. That has to be good news."

Detective Superintendent Barry Dougall, Strathclyde's force drugs co
ordinator, added: "In terms of drug related crime, a person on a
supervised methadone programme is more likely to have a stable
lifestyle, which means he or she is less likely to commit an offence to
feed a habit."