POSITIVE DRUG TESTS IN THE BRITISH ARMY CLIMB BY 50%

The number of British Army personnel testing positive for illegal
drugs has risen by almost 50 per cent since 2003 while those testing
positive for cocaine have trebled, official figures have showed.

Total positive results after compulsory testing were 518 in 2003. The
figure rose to 769 last year - an increase of 48.5 per cent.

Of these, 112 tested positive for cocaine in 2003 and 340 last year.

Those testing positive for cocaine in combination with other drugs
such as cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamine, rose from 136 to 423 over
the period.

Positive tests for heroin dropped from four to one, and for ecstasy
from 85 to 73. Numbers for ecstasy in combination with other drugs
dropped from 103 to 95.

Cannabis figures were down to 221 from 244 while the total for
amphetamines was 19, down from 25.

The figures emerged in a parliamentary written reply from defence
minister Derek Twigg to Tory Patrick Mercer.

Figures in a separate reply to Lib Dem defence spokesman Nick Harvey
show that of 21,957 drug tests on Royal Navy personnel between
January 2006 and last month, just 88 (0.4 per cent) were positive -
mainly for Class A drugs.

In the Army 164,000 tests produced 1,397 (0.85 per cent) positive
results, and in the RAF 21,554 tests with 27 (0.13 per cent) - again
for mostly Class A stimulants.