Half of drug abusers seeking treatment started injecting in their teens

HALF of drug abusers seeking help to kick their habit were injecting before they were 19 years of age, a study shows.

The report published today by the Health Research Board (HRB) shows that more than 33,350 people were treated for problem drug use between 1998 and 2002.

The number of people being treated increased over that period by almost 30% with more than one quarter of the cases presenting for treatment for the first time.