Drug abuse study - Grim reading that affects all of us

The Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine has published what it claims is the largest ever study of opiate-dependent teenagers anywhere.

The survey was undertaken by this country’s largest and longest established addiction treatment clinic — the Dublin-based Drug Treatment Central Board. It set up a younger person’s drug treatment programme for people under 19 years of age.

A total of 86 young heroin addicts were surveyed between October 2000 and September 2006.