Charity hits out over cash for addict

DrugScope chief executive Martin Barnes spoke out after the 38-year-old addict, who wishes to be known only as John, was given 200 in exchange for having a vasectomy.

John has been addicted to opiates for 15 years.

Mr Barnes said offering cash incentives to often very poor and marginalised people in return for sterilisation ran directly counter to the NHS principles of treatment being both informed and consensual.

He said the premise that people with drug problems should be sterilised entrenched stigmatisation and demonisation.

The money was paid by the United States charity Project Prevention, which has already paid more than 3,500 American men and women addicted to drugs or alcohol not to have children.