EDINBURGH DRUGS 'PURER'

Heroin Is Often "Cut" With Other Substances

Heroin bought in Edinburgh is likely to be much purer than anywhere else in
the UK, according to a new survey on drug use.

Undercover research by the Observer newspaper found heroin in the Scottish
capital purity's is almost double the British average.

The findings point to the danger of using drugs of unknown quality,
potentially leading to overdose by users familiar with less pure drugs.

A journalist from the paper was given the task of finding illegal drugs in
Edinburgh, Bristol and Cardiff.

The substances were then sent to a forensic lab for purity analysis:

*In Cardiff heroin contained only 2% of the active ingredient.

*The Edinburgh figure was 9O%.

*Cocaine purchased in Edinburgh was 8O% pure, compared with just 0.6% in
Bristol.

The tests revealed that the remainder of the contents were made up of
substances like brick dust, food dye, stone, glass, and talcum powder.

More research for the paper also revealed more than a quarter of adults in
Britain have taken illegal drugs.

The survey suggests people are relaxed about cannabis

The study suggests 13 million adults - 28% of the adult population - have
used drugs including cannabis and ecstasy.

It also revealed two million people say they took drugs while under the age
of 14 and more than half of 16 to 24-year-olds have tried illegal substances.

Roger Howard, chief executive of Drugscope, said the findings did not
surprise him.

"The threat of criminal sanctions is simply not stopping large numbers of
young people experimenting with drugs," he told the paper.

The survey of 1,075 adults by ICM for the Observer, weighted to reflect the
general adult population, also found that more people now believe tobacco
is a "greater risk" than ecstasy.

The survey suggests more than five million people regularly used cannabis,
2.4 million ecstasy and two million amphetamines and cocaine.

Men are twice as likely as women to have taken drugs, with the majority
saying cannabis was their drug of choice.

The survey also found that 35% thought cannabis should be decriminalised,
7% said ecstasy should be made legal, but only 4% thought all drugs should
be freely available.