Pubdate: Fri, 25 Feb 2005
Source: Belfast Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2005 Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/42
Author: Brian Hutton

PROBE TO UNCOVER EXTENT OF DRUG USE

Official Figures Are Only The Tip Of The Iceberg

A major investigation set to uncover the real extent of hard drug abuse in 
Northern Ireland is to be launched next month.

The probe comes in the wake of the latest official figures which show new 
drug addicts being registered at a rate of two a week last year.

But the figures only represent drug abusers who have been registered with 
health boards and are not an accurate reflection of the true magnitude of 
the problem.

Health chiefs are currently hiring a team of consultants to report on the 
actual number of problem heroin and cocaine users.

The team will draw on information held about known drug users to estimate 
the number of "hidden addicts", using a number of different techniques.

The investigation, which is expected to take up to eight months, will be 
the first of its scale to be carried out by the Department of Health, 
Social Services and Public Safety.

More than 100 drug addicts were newly-registered last year, according to 
the latest figures by the Statistics and Research Agency, just published.

The findings show that there were 249 registered addicts at the end of 
2004, an increase of 18 from the same time the year before.

Two thirds of all registered drug addicts in Northern Ireland use heroin. 
Methadone and cocaine are used by 19% and 12% of abusers, according to figures.

Three times as many males as females are registered while under 30s 
accounted for 39% of the problem drug users.

A survey in 2001 estimated that there were between 695 and 1018 "problem" 
heroin users in Ulster. The report showed there were 139 "visible" heroin 
users in the 15-24 age group at the time.

The findings suggested there were two diverse groups of heroin users in 
Northern Ireland - injectors, many of whom are young; and "chasers" who 
smoke the drug. It was found that users in Ballymena, which recorded a high 
incidence of use, were 12 times more likely to inject than users in Belfast.
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MAP posted-by: Beth