More methadone users than heroin users died in one year in Ireland, according to new figures.
The Health Research Board found that 113 methadone users died of an overdose in 2011, almost double the number of heroin users. At 60, the number of heroin users who died from drug overdoses has been declining for several years now.
The methadone figures have provoked concern for another reason too: the number of users of the prescribed heroin replacement who died doubled in just twelve months.
The comprehensive investigation by the Health Research Board found that the vast majority of the methadone users who died were using other drugs at the same time, which led to many of the overdoses. The HRB suggested that the figures should be investigated, noting that there was a similar increase in methadone deaths in Scotland over the same period.
Around 10,000 people are currently receiving methadone, a green or blue liquid prescribed by certain GPs to reduce cravings for heroin addicts. The figure has increased in recent years. It is estimated that there are around another 10,000 people using heroin.
Tony Geoghegan, the head of Merchant’s Quay Ireland which works with addicts, says he believes money is a factor in people using more than one drug at a time.
“Heroin is expensive, but people can buy benzos on the street for 50 cent and a euro a pop,” he told TheJournal.ie. “Alcohol is also incredibly cheap; you can buy a can of alcohol for cheaper than a bottle of water”.
He cited the lack of support for drug users as another likely reason for the increase in deaths.
Source: Christine Bohan, thejournal.ie, 27/01/14
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