By Grant Smith

HEROIN ADDICTS in Dundee are spending an average of £18,000 a year on feeding their habit, researchers have found.

Almost three-quarters are injecting themselves at least once a day and many have suffered physical problems because of this, including abscesses, ulcers and track marks.

The survey of 170 heroin users, carried out for the Scottish Government, also found some are using practices that put them at risk of acquiring infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C, such as sharing needles or injecting each other.

One of the addicts questioned said, “Some people aren’t willing to wait. When they get to a dealer’s house they are so overwhelmed and glad to get their bit they would be prepared to use whatever was there to have it.”

The purpose of the research was to compare the experiences of addicts in Dundee and Aberdeen to learn more about the uses made of injecting paraphernalia, including needles, filters and spoons.

But it also demonstrates the way users are affected by their addiction and how they try to cope with this.

The Dundee sample comprised 118 men and 52 women. Their average age was 28 and they had first injected on average at 22.

All used heroin, but a fifth said they sometimes injected other drugs too.

There were 125 regular users—those who injected at least daily—and they claimed to need £50 per day on average to pay for heroin, which works out at roughly £18,000 annually.

Almost everybody made use of paraphernalia supplied by needle exchanges and pharmacies, but they were not always able to do so. A common problem was not having enough needles.

The government research explained, “Many reported that peripheral vascular access (injecting in veins in hand, arm, leg or foot) had become increasingly difficult over time, now requiring several attempts with several new, sharp needles for each injection.”

More than a third of the interviewees admitted they had knowingly shared a needle with another user or used a needle or syringe that might have been used by someone else.

Two-thirds said they kept needles and syringes for their own reuse and half the sample said they had either injected or been injected by someone else.

More than half said they had shared a filter with another user and a similar number had track marks from their frequent injections and more than a third said they had suffered from sterile abscesses or a tingling or burning sensation.

Smaller numbers had infected abscesses, ulcers or cellulitis.

All of the Dundee addicts said their preferred choice was to use paraphernalia supplied by the needle exchanges as this was seen to be cleaner and safer, lessening the risk of HIV infection. However, all had also used makeshift equipment at times.

The report said, “Many comments were made expressing difficulty accessing paraphernalia at weekends and at night.

“Essentially, obtaining more paraphernalia from the exchange was often less of a priority than injecting, especially when faced with the possibility of withdrawal effects.”

People living further away from a needle exchange had the most difficulty in ensuring an adequate supply.

Some cited laziness as a factor, but others admitted acquiring money and drugs daily was their priority.

Asked for their views on how sharing—and its associated health risks—could be reduced, the addicts suggested increasing the number of places where paraphernalia was made available and extending the hours these places are open.

However, concerns were expressed about privacy and the attitude of pharmacy staff.

One Dundee woman said, “A lot of people get prescriptions and think if they use a service it’ll get back to their doctor,” while another said, “I won’t go in chemists—in a shop where there are other people and you’re embarrassed to ask.”

The report makes a series of recommendations, which are being considered by ministers.

These include new strategies to discourage paraphernalia sharing, explicitly highlighting the health risks, with special consideration being given to emphasising the less well-known risks of hepatitis C infection as compared to HIV.

The researchers added, “Strategies are needed to increase needle and syringe distribution. Unofficial peer supply is already common.

“Quantities being given to injectors need to be sufficient and access convenient enough to prevent sharing.”

Meanwhile, community safety minister Fergus Ewing said yesterday that drug addicts have the same right to care as other people and should not be treated as “second class citizens.”

A report this week is expected to recommend that substance users have the right to the same quality of care as everyone else.

The study, by the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse (SACDM), is published on Wednesday—the same day that former health minister Susan Deacon chairs a conference in Glasgow looking at how the concept of recovery could be applied to work to tackle drug addiction.