Experts warn over hidden drug abuse problem in affluent York

HEALTH experts have warned that one of Yorkshire's most affluent cities is being blighted by a hidden problem of drug abuse after resources have been targeted at more deprived communities.

Scores of drug users across York are already seeking treatment for their addictions, often to class A narcotics including crack cocaine and heroin, although concerns are growing many more have slipped under the radar of support services.

A dedicated team of professionals has now been established in the city following an overhaul of services in North Yorkshire to ensure adequate resources are being allocated to York.

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Leigh Bell, the manager of the new Drugs Action Team which is based at York Council, admitted the focus had previously been placed on other more deprived areas of North Yorkshire.

These districts include the Eastfield area of Scarborough, which is among the top 10 per cent of the nation's most deprived communities.

Miss Bell confirmed that research is now due to be conducted in York to establish the true extent of the drugs problem which is blighting the city.

She said: "Drugs affect all sections of society, and it is not down to people's class, social standing or ability to pay for the drugs as to whether they become involved.

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"It is easy to picture York as an affluent and historical city, but we are not exempt from the problems of drugs here.

"Beneath the veneer of the historical buildings and heritage, there are often some very significant problems which we are aiming to deal with."

The latest statistics available have shown that there were an estimated 1,044 "problem drug users" hooked on opiates or crack cocaine out of the city's 195,000-strong population during 2008/09.

In North Yorkshire, there were 1,985 problem drug users out of a total population of 599,200 during the same period. In Leeds, the figure was 6,055, while in Sheffield there were 4,459 problem drug users in 2008/09.

Official figures have revealed that 2,182 people in the UK

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died from drug overdoses in 2009, and health officials have stressed that York and North Yorkshire have one of the lowest rates of drug related death per 100,000 population in the region.

But the fact that the dangers of drugs can blight every part of the country was highlighted earlier this year when a controversial dance drug was linked to the death of a young partygoer from Norton in North Yorkshire.

Lois Waters died in her sleep after consuming a cocktail of the now banned "legal high" drug Mephedrone and anti-depressants - leading to her death from a heart problem she never knew she had.

Miss Waters, 24, took the substance – also known as M-Cat and Meow Meow – at a party with friends in the early hours of March 20 this year, just weeks before the so-called legal high was outlawed.

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The new Drugs Action Team in York is part of a Home Office programme, which has helped dramatically to reduce offences such as theft or shoplifting, often committed by addicts, by up to 35 per cent.

The new unit has been created after a team of 12 staff who previously worked across North Yorkshire has been restructured.

The specially-trained advisers will work with both addicts and victims of drug users, and close links will be forged with rehabilitation organisations and case workers to provide the appropriate treatment and support.

Needle exchanges and safer injecting advice will also be provided, along with specialist counselling services, methadone prescribing and healthcare screening.

More information is available from the Drugs Action Team via email at [email protected] or by calling 01904 554513.

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