Drugs and drug treatment An introduction. Harry Shapiro Director of Communications and Information DrugScope.

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

Further information

• www.drugscope.org.uk

• [email protected]