Fall in opiate and crack use
By William Smith
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Abuse has sent out a news letter today which hold promising 
news on the use of heroin and crack.
The news report reads:
Fall in opiate and crack use : independent research published today (30.09..2011)
The number of people in England who use heroin and crack has fallen, according to independent research published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) today.
Experts from the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow estimated there were 306,150 users of heroin and/ or crack in 2009-10, a statistically significant decrease from the 2008-9 estimate of 321,229.
The research suggests there are now about 25,000 fewer heroin and/ or crack addicts in the population than the 2005-7 estimate of 330,000. An NTA summary of the research also highlights an estimate of 103,185 injecting drug users, a fall of 12% from the previous count.
The findings update a three-year research programme commissioned by the Home Office to supplement data in the British Crime Survey and give a clearer picture1 of the extent of use of the most harmful drugs.
Heroin and crack are the most problematic illicit substances, because of their potential for entrenching dependency in individuals and their social impact in fuelling drug-related crime, worklessness and welfare dependency.
The trend identified by Glasgow University reflects the reduction in new presentations to services recorded by the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) in recent years, and is consistent with an ageing drug using population.
Commenting on the findings NTA Chief Executive Paul Hayes said:
“This independent research confirms what we see in the pattern of drug treatment. It looks as if fewer young adults are turning to heroin and crack and fewer users in general are taking part in risky injecting behaviour.
This is an encouraging development but we can’t be complacent as long as drugs are ruining lives and causing misery to communities. So we are refocusing the treatment system in order to ensure more people overcome addiction and sustain their recovery.”
