‘Lives at risk due to cuts in drugs services’

The Government is putting hundreds of lives at risk by slashing drug addiction prevention budgets by more than a third since it came to power.

The claim was made by drug service workers, opposition politicians, and former addicts at a major conference of the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign group yesterday.

Speaking at the latest in a series of meetings attempting to force the issue back onto the political agenda before next month’s local and European elections, the group said more than 600 people are dying of drug addiction every year — almost two deaths a day.