Drug overdoses can be slashed by up to 75%

DRUG overdoses could be reduced substantially if treatment programmes are expanded and doctors tackle dual addictions among users, a conference will be told today.

According to the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), heroin users with dual addictions to alcohol, tranquillisers or cocaine pose a huge overdose risk. This risk is slashed by 75% when users begin methadone programmes.

An estimated 8,000 Irish people are heroin users, while a further 6,000 are on treatment programmes. Each year in Ireland, up to 90 people die from drug overdoses, the majority being heroin users.