Problem drug use "two-thirds higher in Jersey than UK"

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Jersey’s drug problem has been exposed by a report that shows that Islanders are 64% more likely to be "problem drug users" than people in the UK.

The report has raised questions about the way that organisations work together to tackle the threat of drugs, and the decision by the police to scrap the 'drug squad.'

Researchers from the Glasgow-based Centre for Drugs Misuse Research, undertaking the first major survey of drug use since 2001, found that there are 892 problem drug users in Jersey. That proportion works out at 1.4% of the population aged from 15 to 64, compared to 0.85% in England.

The proportion has not changed since the last survey.

But it’s not all bad news - researchers have praised the commitment of those tackling drug abuse in Jersey, whether they work in education, dealing with offenders or law enforcement.

And the authorities have point to success stories in recent years, including a reduction in needle-sharing by intravenous drug users from 91% to 12.5% since 2001, the drop in drug-related deaths and the fact that half of all problem drug users in Jersey are in some kind of treatment programme, a number far higher than the comparable figure in the UK.

Professor Neil McKeganey said that the rise in the availability of New Psychoactive Substances – the synthetic drugs that used to be known as 'legal highs' – along with the rise in abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication all represented major changes in drug use behaviour since the last report.

“One of the findings that is significant is the persistent use of heroin,” he said.

“There have been indications that the extent of the heroin problem is diminishing, but it is evident from comments of drug users that heroin remains a significant problem.

“The nature of drugs being abused and the characteristics of problem drug users are not greatly different to the UK. Problem drug users are predominantly men, they tend not to be in work although there is a greater likelihood that they will be in employment here than elsewhere, and they tend to have housing-related problems.”