Pubdate: Mon, 10 Mar 2008
Source: Daily Record (UK)
Copyright: 2008 Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/111

SCOTLAND IS EUROPE'S WORST COUNTRY FOR DRUG DEATHS

SCOTLAND has been named as Europe's drug death blackspot.

A report has revealed we have almost twice as many drug-related deaths
as any other European country per head of population.

Experts have now called for an overhaul in the way Scots addicts are
treated.

The figures published by the United Nations show Scotland has 8.2 drug
deaths per 100,000 people compared with just five in Denmark.

The figure for the UK as a whole is just 4.78.

Anti-drug campaigners say that Scotland's problem is made worse
because of the high number of addicts living in poverty.

They believe the new report reinforces the case for a complete
overhaul of the treatment of drug abuse, including the rejection of
the heroin substitute methadone.
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MAP posted-by: Derek