Scotland among the world's worst for drug abuse

[hampshireboyy]

A new study has revealed Scotland has some of the worst drug abuse rates in the world, and the situation is getting worse.

The international survey by the UN includes results from 200 countries, and shows greater per-head use of heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in this country than almost any other.

Shocking figures show that almost 4% of the population is regularly using the class A drug cocaine -- the highest rate recorded anywhere. Around 1.5% of Scots adults inject or smoke opiates -- almost three times the world average. Narcotics experts have blamed ministers for not making clear policies on the issue, and they even claim that the Scottish Government’s failure to tackle the misuse of these drugs could be deterring businesses from setting up shop in the country. Only five nations -- including Afghanistan, where the majority of heroin is cultivated -- recorded higher levels of abuse than here. The others were Iran, Costa Rica, Russia and Mauritius. Scotland’s ecstasy problem is a third higher than in England and Wales, as 2.5% of the population has the habit, showing almost a 50% jump in the last six years. No other nation has such a consistent track record for topping separate drug use tables. Professor Graeme Pearson, former head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, slammed the government for not tackling the problem head-on. He said: “Education, diversion and treatment activities to reduce the problem have been largely missing over the last three years. “If you have a successful drugs strategy the number of problematic drug users will fall but there’s no evidence to suggest that is happening.” He said it could have implications for Scotland’s ability to attract entrepreneurs. He added: “If you have millions of pounds to invest do you choose an area with a drug problem and take a risk in terms of whether the workforce is going to deliver, or do you set up somewhere where drug abuse is falling? The answer is obvious.” Research shows users spend £1.4 billion a year on their habits, and it is estimated that there are now around 50,000 heroin and 750,000 cocaine users across Scotland. The nation also tops the European table for the highest level of drug-related deaths, and when costs related to the NHS, the criminal justice system and social care are considered, the bill totals almost £3.5bn. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are investing a record £28.6 million in 2010/11 for frontline drug treatment services, a 20% increase on 2006/07.” Researchers have previously blamed Scotland’s higher mortality rate on the country’s levels of drug abuse. In 1981, mortality was 12% higher in Scotland than in England and Wales. By 2001, the figure was 15%, and it is expected to have crept up even further by next year. Researchers from Glasgow, writing online in the British Medical Journal in 2008, estimated that around 32% of excess mortality in Scotland was due to drug abuse, with drug users 12 times more likely to die than those in the general population. The Scottish Government estimates that problem drug use costs the Scottish economy £2.6bn a year, with Scotland recently named the worst in the world for drug-related crime. An international study by the UN published in February this year found there were 656 drug offences per 100,000 people in Scotland. Second-placed Iran recorded 619 per 100,000. The figures, which compared drug-related crime, possession and abuse across more than 70 states, put Scotland’s drug crime rate at more than double that of England and Wales, and six times the worldwide average.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/s...buse-1.1045274

[StonyArabia]

I doubt this to be the case. The Us and parts of Latin America and Yemen have the worse drug abuse cases.