ONE IN 50 A HEROIN ADDICT

SCOTLAND'S first heroin census has revealed the country has 56,000 addicts
- - one in 50 of the adult population.

The study, conducted by Professor Neil McKeganey at Glasgow University,
depicts a nation struggling to cope with the rise in opiate abuse - and
calls for an urgent review of resources to tackle the problem.

He said: "We have nearly twice as many drug addicts as we thought we had.
It shows very clearly that we don't have one drug problem in Scotland, we
have a series of local epidemics. We must increase resources on drug
treatment and law enforcement, but prevention is a Cinderella area."

He added: "Once people are on heroin it's extremely difficult to wean them
off. We have to spend more money in schools to stop kids getting hooked in
the first place."

The report concentrates on heroin and benzodiazepines - tranquillisers like
valium - providing figures for every council area, health board and police
force in the country.

Figures show that 53 per cent of Scotland's drug addicts live within the
Strathclyde Police force area.

Researchers found nearly 23,000 people were injecting heroin and
tranquillisers last year. The male to female ratio for drug abuse is three
to one.

The worst areas for injecting are Grampian and Greater Glasgow - 1.4 per
cent of the population.

Prof McKeganey is deeply concerned about the rise in the number of addicts
in rural areas like Grampian where heroin is the drug of choice. But he
said no area of Scotland was free from the scourge of drugs.

There are 3,600 addicts in Aberdeen compared to 16,000 in Greater Glasgow.

Other areas to be blighted by drugs include Glasgow city - 13,000 addicts,
Edinburgh - 5,800, Dundee - 2,700, Fife - 2,800, Renfrewshire - 2,400.

Experts from the Centre for Drug Misuse Research found drug abuse had
permeated every region of Scotland ranging from 3.8 per cent of the
population in Glasgow to 0.3 per cent in the Orkney Isles.

"We have seen a rapid and substantial increase in drug misuse in the
north-east of Scotland - quicker than anywhere else in Scotland," said
Professor McKeganey. "Heroin is the key problem for Grampian and rural
areas are catching up with urban areas. We need a major expansion in
services to cover rural Scotland because most of the facilities are in
major towns and cities."

The report provides the first ever national and local estimates of the
extent of drug abuse in Scotland.

Figures show that 2 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 54 had
used drugs last year. A major concern is the growing number of young
addicts - especially in the north-east of Scotland.

In areas like Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, heroin abuse is
well-established with a "significant number of older users".

The report states: "In the case of Aberdeen we are now seeing a rapid onset
of a relatively new problem and as a result many of the drug users ... tend
to be somewhat younger than those found in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee."

Researchers also found drugs did not respect postcodes and middle-class as
well as working-class areas were affected.

"In Aberdeen, for example, problematic drug use appears to be much less
closely tied to indicators of deprivation than in many other areas."

The deputy justice minister Iain Gray said that a better understanding of
the scale of the problem was vital in applying funding.

He said: "This report is the first attempt to get an accurate picture of
problematic drug misuse in Scotland. The problem did not appear overnight
and is a sad reflection of the failed policies of the past.

"This report gives us a much clearer picture of the drug problem in
Scotland's communities - and what we have to do to improve things."

The minister said the executive had invested record amounts to tackle drug
abuse with an emphasis on new treatment and rehabilitation services. The
executive had spent an extra £34 million this year to increase the number
of drug addicts receiving treatment, he added. It is now expected to
commission similar studies every three years to monitor drug trends.