Heroin has replaced cannabis as second highest treated drug

HEROIN has replaced cannabis as the second highest treated drug in the south east, Health Service Executive figures show.

Statistics from the HSE reveal that treatment for heroin use rose from 49 in 2000 (3.5% of all cases) to 293 in 2008 (12.5% of all cases). “In 2007 and previous years, cannabis was the second highest treated drug of misuse in the south east, but in 2008 heroin has taken this position at 12.5%, followed then by cannabis at 10.7% and cocaine at 5.6%,” said the Overview of Drug Misuse Report 2008.

The report said alcohol remained by far the main problem drug, accounting for 61.7% of cases. It said this figure had fallen in recent years and dropped from 64.2% in 2007. The number of treatment cases for cocaine has risen over the years, but had dropped from 6.9% in 2007.