Drug misuse statistics Scotland 2010
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Drug misuse statistics Scotland 2010.

Substance Misuse Programme, Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland.
NHS National Services Scotland, 2010.


Statistical picture of drug misuse in Scotland in 2009 and 2010 including treatment and criminal justice caseloads and health impacts, plus trends over recent years.

Summary This annual publication presents the latest available information from a range of national data sources relevant to drug misuse. This year there are three main sections:
Services and treatment for drug misusers This section includes information on individuals presenting to drug treatment services and prescription statistics.
Health impact of drug misuse This section includes information on inpatients and day cases discharged from general hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, general practice consultations, maternity and neonatal information, blood-borne viruses and drug-related deaths in Scotland.
Criminal justice and social harm This section includes information on drug-related offences and court proceedings, criminal justice social work, drug misuse and treatment in Scottish prisons and social harm in neighbourhoods.

Selected statistics include:
• In 2009/10, 10,325 drug users were reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database as newly in contact with drug services, whereas in the previous three years the figure had been well over 12,000.
• 64% said that a year or more had elapsed between their perception that they had a drug problem and treatment being sought.
• 73% were unemployed and 72% said their drug use was funded by benefits.
• In the most deprived areas, there were over 11 times more GP consultations for drug problems per 1000 of the practice population than in the most affluent areas, a differential not seen for non-drug misuse consultations.
• The total number of persons newly diagnosed with hepatitis C infection increased from 1550–1615 reports during 2005 to 2007, to 1695 in 2008 and 2081 in 2009. Of these the number of drug injectors increased from 779–763 during 2006 to 2008 to 959 in 2009.
• Reports of HIV infection in injectors fluctuated between 2005 and 2009, falling for three years from 28 in 2005 to 11 in 2007, before rising to 19 in 2008, then falling slightly to 17 in 2009.
• The number of drug-related deaths increased between 2000 to 2009 from 292 to 545.
• In 2009, heroin/morphine was reported as implicated in, or potentially contributing to, 59% of the deaths, methadone 32%, alcohol 30% and benzodiazepines 28%.
• The rate of drug-related offences per 100,000 of the population fell yearly between 2005/06 and 2007/08 from 868 to 792. Following a rise in 2008/09 to 822 the rate subsequently fell in 2009/10 to 759.
• 752 drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs – a sentence involving regular testing for drug use allied with treatment, normally as an alternative to imprisonment of drug using offenders) were started 2008/09.
• The proportion of DTTOs terminated upon successful completion has remained relatively stable, varying from 38% in 2004/05 to 40% in 2008/09. The number revoked due to a breach fluctuated, with a decrease from 42% in 2004/05 to 36% in 2008/09. The number revoked due to review also fluctuated, although this time with an increase from 10% in 2004/05 to 15% in 2008/09.
• Of the 1093 addiction prevalence tests carried out on entry to prison, 56% were positive for illicit drug use. Of the 710 tests carried out at prisoner release, 17% were positive.
• 22% of respondents to the 2009 prison survey reported use of illegal drugs in prison in the previous month.
• On a single day in December 2005, 16% of the prison population were being prescribed methadone; by 2009 this had increased to 21%.
• The proportions of local survey respondents who said that drug misuse or dealing was "very or fairly common" in their neighbourhoods has remained stable (12–13%) between 2005 and 2009 and so has the proportion with personal local experience of drug misuse or dealing (5–6%).
• These figures varied by deprivation. In the most areas, 28% of respondents felt drug misuse or dealing was "very or fairly common" locally but just 2% in the least deprived. Similarly, 13% in the most deprived areas said they had personal experience of drug misuse or dealing locally compared to 1% in the least deprived.

Last revised 17 March 2011

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