MORE THAN 1000 ADDICTS ON METHADONE LIVE WITH KIDS

MORE than 1000 Lothian drug addicts who are being treated with the
heroin-substitute methadone have children living with them at home, a
new report revealed today.

And across Scotland around one third of those on methadone treatment
have under-16s living with them all or part of the time.

The figures were published in a review of methadone as part of drug
treatment programmes, ordered last year following the tragic case of
East Lothian toddler Derek Doran. The two-year-old died in December
2005 after allegedly drinking methadone.

Earlier this month, a murder charge against his mother Lisa Dodds,
26, of MacFarlane Court, Elphinstone, was dropped.

Today's report said a total of 21,131 people in Scotland were
receiving methadone in the community - ten per cent more than the
previous estimate in 2004. At least 6752 of these had children living
with them.

In Lothian there were 3450 people on methadone treatment. The
estimate for those with under-16s at home was between 1026 and 1938.

Health chiefs have admitted in the past the vast majority of those on
methadone take their medication at home at least one day a week,
because most pharmacies are closed on Sundays.

The report also noted the national guidelines, which say people
should normally take methadone under supervision for at least the
first three months were often relaxed in Lothian.

Also published today were the results of a consultation which
concluded methadone had a positive impact on the lives of people
being treated with it.

And a third report said it was "entirely appropriate" for methadone
to be the major element of treatment available for opiate dependency.

But the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drugs Misuse voiced concern
about the need for more support services to address matters such as
psychological health and social aspects of recovery like education or
employment.

Tom Wood, chairman of Edinburgh's action team on alcohol and drugs,
said it was "too simplistic" to regard it as dangerous that someone
receiving methadone treatment had children living with them.

He said: "We have to be sure the person is reliable and there is no
danger to other people - either children or danger of leakage into
the illegal market.

"Methadone is very good at stabilising people. But it should be part
of a wider programme."

Fergus Ewing, minister for community safety, promised to ensure
better support services were made available.

He said: "It is clear that methadone does have an important part to
play in tackling heroin addiction.

Methadone must come with genuine rehabilitation to help addicts find
a route out of drugs. We need to be more than a prescription service."

The Facts

MORE than 3000 people a year are being prescribed methadone in
Lothian - and the numbers here are rising faster than elsewhere in Scotland.

Some patients have to report daily to pharmacies and take their dose
on the premises, but others are given weekly amounts as part of a
"take-home" prescription.

Latest official statistics show the number of addicts being
prescribed the drug in Lothian rose from 2191 in 2002 to 3104 in
2004. That amounts to a 42 per cent increase, compared to a rise of
17 per cent across Scotland as a whole.

The estimated cost of prescribing methadone in the Lothians is almost
AUKP2 million, with the bill for the entire country reaching AUKP11.6m.