Action in partnership : tackling drugs in Scotland / the Scottish Office.

  • Great Britain. Scottish Office.
Date:
1999
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Action in partnership : tackling drugs in Scotland / the Scottish Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/76 (page 9)
    Individuals often report that they misuse a number of different drugs. The use of any particular drug is likely to be the result of a number of different factors, including availability. It is known that combinations of drugs are often taken, including alcohol and this practice carries additional risks, particularly of overdose. The pervasive extent of heroin misuse among young people in Scotland is illustrated by the rapid increase in the proportion of younger new clients/patients at treatment agencies reporting use of heroin (Figure 5). This increase is most marked in young people aged 15 to 19: for this age group, the proportion of the young people attending treatment agencies who reported using the drug has risen from 37% in 1995/96 to 63% in 1997/98. Figure 5 - Reported heroin use among young clients/patients attending treatment agencies 70 60 50 40 30 20 WB 1995/1996 [9 1996/1997 [] 1997/1998 Percentage reporting heroin use Based on information obtained from people attending treatment agencies, there are worrying trends regarding the practice of injecting drugs. Between 1992/93 and 1995/96 the proportion reporting injecting drugs was falling year on year. However, this decline has stabilised in recent years with a rise in the percentage injecting in the year ending March 1998 (Figure 6). Figure 6 - Injecting and sharing behaviour of new clients/patients attending treatment agencies 40 35 30 injected in previous month shared in previous month Percentage of clients/patients NO ee)