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The Use of Heroin and Methadone by Injection in a New Town

1972; Wiley; Volume: 67; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1360-0443.1972.tb01179.x

2056-516X

N. H. Rathod,

HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk

Summary Data from the Home Office 1 shows a nearly three‐fold increase in the number of notified “addicts” to heroin and methadone over a four year period (1965–68). These figures reflect the national trends and as such are of considerable value. They however give little insight into another important aspect of this phenomenon‐i.e. into regional differences and regional trends. The value of such information cannot be over‐emphasised. Community surveys of those using narcotics or other drugs by injection are sconce, and so are serial surveys on one particular community. Unique amongst such are the series of periodic surveys on a provincial town. They all emanate from the Addiction Research Unit at the Institute of Psychiatry. 2‐A These reports show that the number of known, opiate users has increased from 37 m 1968 to 63 in 1970. This paper concerns changes in the use of narcotics by infection in a New Town where an initial survey was carried out in 1967. 5,6 It deals primarily with trends in incidence and prevalence, examines relationship between oral use of illicit drugs and practice of injecting and with trends in the types of drugs injected.