New Heroin warning as drug death toll rockets

[Lunar Loops]

This from the Evening Times in Scotland yesterday:

New heroin warning as drugs death toll rockets

DRUG-RELATED deaths in west central Scotland have almost doubled this year after high-strength heroin flooded the streets.
Since January 1 there have been 82 drug death probes by Strathclyde Police, compared to 48 for the same period last year.
Police said purer heroin is circulating. A typical deal now contains 125mg of the drug where it used to be 100mg and the average strength of a street deal is almost twice as much as this time last year.
The alert comes after the number of Glasgow drug deaths - mostly from heroin - fell from 108 in 2004 to 78 in 2005, thanks mainly to new services for addicts.
Police have called a multi-agency meeting, involving social workers, health workers, and alcohol and drug action teams, to determine how problem can be tackled.
Detective Superintendent John McSporran said: "Heroin of a higher- than-normal strength is being sold but taking any type of illegal drugs is inherently dangerous."
Earlier this year, the Evening Times revealed a new heroin substitute - buprenorphine - is to be prescribed in Glasgow as an alternative to methadone for those on detox and short-term withdrawal.

Publication date 16/05/06