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Drugs and drug treatment
An introduction
Harry Shapiro
Director of Communications and Information
DrugScope
What is DrugScope?
• UK’s main drug information charity since 1968
• UK’s largest drug sector membership organisation
• Main point of call for media comment and background on drugs issues
• The DMZ
The 1980s
• Recession
• Iranian revolution
• Smokeable heroin (UK)
• Smokeable cocaine (US)
Drug headlines
• Overall illegal drug in the UK has been relatively stable for the past ten years
• Cocaine powder is the exception
• Price and purity levels of most drugs coming down
• But new market in ‘home-grown’ cannabis producing a stronger product
• Heroin and crack present the most problems for society as a whole
• Heroin population growing older
• Drug problems of younger people – cannabis, alcohol, cocaine
• New drugs – ketamine, GBL, legal highs
The next level?
• Ecstasy
• Cannabis
• Amphetamine
• Heroin
• Methadone
• Cocaine and crack
• LSD
• Mushrooms
• Solvents
• GHB
• Ketamine
• Methamphetamine
• Tranquillisers
• GBL
• Spice
• Methadrone
• Salvia
• BZP
• INTERNET
Heroin
Methadone
Crack
Cocaine
Amphetamine
Prescription drugs 1Subutex [Buprenorphine]
Morphgesic[Morphine]
DF118 [Dihydrocodeine]
Temgesic [Buprenorphine]
Physeptone [Methadone]
Ritalin
Prescription drugs II
Diazepam
Temazepam Prozac
Codeine
Viagra illicit
Valoid [Cyclizine]
Viagra pharmacuetical
Drug treatment – the headlines
• 200,000 in treatment out of estimated problem drug using population of 320,000 (heroin/crack) in England
• Typical profile – white, male heroin user in early thirties• Three times more men in treatment than women• Most common referral routes – self 40%; criminal justice 27%• Waiting times down to less than than three weeks for most
modalities• More than three-quarters of clients stayed in treatment for
twelve weeks or more
Types of drug services
• Advice and information• Harm reduction• Community prescribing• Counselling and psycho-social support• Structured day programmes• Detox• Rehab• Self-help
Some current issues
• Abstinence v Harm Reduction
• Recovery
• Welfare Reform
• Independent Safeguarding Authority
The Scapegoat