Transcript NTA NEW PRESENTATION TEMPLATE 2011

CLUB DRUGS:
EMERGING TRENDS
AND RISKS
Open Road ‘Legal Highs –
Clubbing Drugs’ Conference
Wednesday 23rd January 2013
Rick Andrews
National Treatment Agency
Slide 1
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
 First analysis of treatment data
relating to these substances
 Based upon NDTMS data since
2005-06
 ‘Club drugs’ – a collective term
often used generically to
describe a increasingly wide
range of substances
 High numbers of reported users,
relatively small numbers
presenting to treatment
Slide 2
2
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Context:
 BCS indicates that overall drug use is declining from 3.3m in
2005 to 2.9m in 2011
 Overall numbers in treatment declining year on year
 Same period use of club drugs has risen.
 In 2010-11 estimated 1m club drug users
 Made up 4% of all new entrants to drug treatment in 2011/12
 Ketamine use in general population remained constant – but
increasing nos. presenting to treatment
 Numbers presenting to treatment increased by 50%
 Make up just 2% of over-18s and 10% of under-18s in
treatment
Slide 3
3
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Slide 4
4
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Slide 5
5
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Characteristics:
 Users different than those traditionally seen by services
 Do not appear to be replacing more traditional drugs,
such as heroin and crack
 Can cause serious health problems and can lead to
dependency
 Use tends to be characterised by binge rather than
regular use
 Longer period between reported first use and presenting
to treatment
 Often prompted by acute health effect/episode
 Club drug users do well in treatment.
Slide 6
6
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Characteristics:
 Differ greatly from mainstream treatment
population
 Users typically have good personal resources
 Often highly educated
 Are employed
 Are socially functional
 Lack criminal convictions
 Voluntarily engage with treatment
 Have shorter treatment episodes
 Club drug users do well in treatment.
Slide 7
7
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Findings:
 8% report injecting Mephedrone (in last 2 years)
 Users made up 4% of all new entrants to drug treatment in
2011/12 (2675/70,000) compared to 47,000 for
Heroin/crack
 Ecstasy remains the most common
 Overall average age of treatment population increasing
 43% of club drug users in the 18-24 age range
 70% of Mephedrone and 50% GBH/GBL aged over 30
 U-18 Ecstasy presentations has fallen by 68% from 2007-08
 Last year, 61% of over-18 and 74% of under-18 club drugs
users who left treatment did so successfully
Slide 8
8
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
Conclusions:
 Treatment numbers remain relatively small
 Rates of IV use are minimal
 No graduation to other substances
 Enter treatment voluntarily
 Users typically have good personal resources
 Respond well to treatment
 Treatment episodes tend to be relatively short
 Services responsive and adaptive to changing trends
 Range of substances is increasing
 Continued investment is crucial
Slide 9
9
CLUB DRUGS: EMERGING TRENDS AND RISKS
 Full copy of the report
available at:
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uplo
ads/clubdrugsreport2012[0
].pdf
Slide 10
10