Plans to give addicts free heroin come under fire

Published on Thursday 12 November 2009 21:22

PROPOSALS to provide drug addicts in Aberdeen with free heroin on the NHS, as an alternative to methadone, were condemned yesterday by opposition councillors.

Opposition councillors warned that the proposals by two leading members of the city council's administration could turn Aberdeen into a Mecca for drug users.

The call for Aberdeen to be chosen as the location for a Scottish pilot scheme – following the apparent success of recent trials in England – is being made by Jim Kiddie, the convener of the council's social care committee, and Gordon Leslie, who chairs the visiting committee for Craiginches Prison.

The plan would involve specialist clinics being set up where groups of drug abusers would be given pure heroin to "tackle the substantial and increasing problems of substance misuse in Aberdeen".

According to the latest statistics, methadone is being prescribed to 1,600 addicts in the city.

Mr Kiddie said yesterday: "There are quite a number of GPs in Aberdeen who will not prescribe methadone, and that is one of the difficulties.

"And, as members of the prison visiting committee, we are conscious of the number of people that get involved in crime because of their addiction to heroin and the marked affect that has on our communities."

Barney Crockett, the leader of the council Labour group, condemned the proposals. He said: "I think it is very premature to look at anything like this at the moment."