States of the nationAndy McNicollCommunications Officer, DrugScope

What we’ll cover•The drugs landscape •The usual suspects▫Heroin and crack ▫Cannabis▫Stimulant market

• ‘New’ kids on the block▫Mephedrone▫Ketamine▫GBL/GHB▫Emerging ‘legal highs’

‘Problem drug use’•Estimated 328,267 opiate

and/or crack users•173,487 in treatment in 08/09•1 in 4 report housing problem

‘The Trainspotting generation’

•Ageing heroin-using population▫03/04 - 28% of clients 35+▫08/09 - 42% of clients 35+

•Challenges for services•End of Trainspotting generation?

Other trends

•Street benzo use▫Used to “top up” poor heroin▫Legitimate pills diverted from EU▫Counterfeits from Asia/internet

•Subutex use▫Popular in prisons▫Didn’t show up in prison drug tests

Estimated number of 16 to 59 year olds who report using a drug in the last year 2008/09

Source: Home Office (2009) Drug misuse declared: findings from the 2008/09 British Crime Survey

Cannabis

•Approx 1 in 3 (31%) of adults have tried it•Made Class B in 2009•Different types:▫Cannabis resin▫ ‘Traditional herbal’ cannabis ▫Skunk

UK cannabis market

Quantity of drugs seized by police forces 2004 2005 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

Resin cannabis (kg) 14,968 3,738 2,305 2,632 6,082

Cannabis plants (numbers) 77,124 203,374 344,360 508,640 643,296

Source: Home Office (2009) Drug seizures in England and Wales

Source: Home Office (2008) Cannabis potency study

Industrial strength?

•1998: UK average potency (THC) 7-9%•2008: UK average potency (THC) 12-14%

Stimulant use...1990s 2000s 2010 and beyond...

Powder power in the 2000s...% of 16 to 24 year olds reporting having used a drug in the last year

Source: Home Office (2009) Drug misuse declared findings from the 2008/09 BCS

Powder power in the 2000s...Average purity of cocaine seized 2003-2009

Mephedrone• Rise coincided with low quality

coke & scarcity of MDMA. • March 2009

• Popular among ‘psychonauts’• Cheap,available & effective • Effects similar to cocaine/E

• April 2010• Made Class B drug• Reports of hospital admissions• ‘Linked to’ 20+ deaths

From Shanghai to Skegness...

• Created in 2004 by ‘psychonaut’ chemist

• Made in Chinese labs▫1kg wholesale for £2,600

• Sold online and in headshops▫Profit margin for websites

£7,500 per kilo• Opened door to ‘online’ dealing• 24 hour a day delivery

What’s next?

•NRG-1 ▫Marketed as naphyrone

•But what is actually in it?▫MDPV?▫Mephedrone?▫Methylone?

Ketamine

• Class C since 2005• ‘Dissociative anaesthetic’• Trends in 2009:

• Still popular and available• Some injecting users• Evidence of bladder

damage• Dependence

GHB/GBL• Liquid solvents dubbed ‘liquid

ecstasy’• GHB - Class C from 2003• GBL – made Class C in Jan 2010

• 2009 – addiction/withdrawal cases:▫ Similar to alcohol dependency▫Detox in hospitals near ICUs▫Dedicated detox service setup at

Maudsley hospital

It’s in the mix...•Polydrug use•2009 Druglink survey▫ ‘Junk food’ drug market▫Low quality reported

across the board▫Pick ‘n mix use of a

range of drugs

Spot the difference...

mephedrone

flephedrone

Naphyrone)

VSVS

World wired web...• Internet the ‘future of

drug dealing’?•What’s next?▫Return of £10 pill?▫LSD?▫Myriad ‘legal’ white

powders...

•Andy McNicoll, communications officer, DrugScopeandrewm@drugscope.org.uk