Pubdate: Fri, 02 Aug 2002
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2002
Contact:  http://www.scotsman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406
Author: Dan McDougall, Crime Correspondent

CALL TO EXPAND DRUG TESTING

POLICE chiefs believe random drug-testing in the workplace should be more 
widely introduced to help combat increasing cocaine use north of the Border.

The calls came yesterday after a Scottish Executive report revealed that, 
since 1996, cocaine use in Scotland has risen by 300 per cent, with crack 
cocaine steadily replacing heroin as the scourge of towns and cities.

Aberdeen was revealed as the city with the biggest crack cocaine problem, 
with Edinburgh and Glasgow following closely.

Dr Richard Simpson, the deputy justice minister, announced a dedicated 
campaign to halt the spread of crack cocaine into towns and cities, 
confirming the use of the drug was now the most troubling drugs issue for 
the authorities.

He said: "We recognise there is a growing problem and we must take action 
to address it now.

"We are investing ?128 million over the next three years in tackling drug 
misuse and local agencies are already working to determine local need, 
developing tailored strategies to tackle drug misuse in their area."

A Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency source said there was a firm belief 
among police that random testing would be of huge benefit to their fight 
against crime.

He said: "There is a great deal of belief among senior officers involved in 
the fight against drugs that random drug-testing in the workplace would be 
a very effective deterrent. When people's livelihoods are at stake they 
might view drugs differently."

Last night Dr Kay Roberts, a drug misuse specialist with Greater Glasgow 
Health Board and chairwoman of the drug misuse working group, called for 
urgent action to halt the rise in use of the drug.

She said: "A number of reputable Scottish data sources show that levels of 
crack and cocaine use are rising, although those for amphetamines are 
falling. My working group has made a number of recommendations which, if 
accepted and taken forward by the Executive, should enable Scotland to 
address these problems before they become unmanageable."

Dr Simpson insisted ministers were "not complacent" about drug problems.

"I think we are more ahead of the heroin problem in the late-1980s 
early-1990s. I think this time we are catching this at a much earlier 
stage, but what this report does show is that there is a rising trend," he 
said.

"It's also important to recognise that the number of registered individuals 
using cocaine, either alone or in combination with other drugs, is probably 
considerably smaller than the number of actual users out there."

He added: "There is an unmet need for information, both for the providers 
of the services and for the users themselves."

Recently Professor Robert Kendell, Scotland's former chief medical officer, 
said that the widespread introduction of drugs-testing in the workplace 
would be a major weapon in the battle against the rising levels of 
substance misuse throughout society.

Keith Hellawell, before he quit his post as the UK drugs tsar, said all 
government workers, including Cabinet ministers, should agree to be tested.

Mr Hellawell urged the government to target misuse among white-collar 
workers as a way of removing one of the biggest markets for dealers in 
fashionable hard drugs.
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