Transcript Training presentation on new drug trends, Andrew McNicoll

States of the nation
Andy McNicoll
Communications Officer,
DrugScope
What we’ll cover
• The drugs landscape
• The usual suspects
▫ Heroin and crack
▫ Cannabis
▫ Stimulant market
• ‘New’ kids on the block
▫
▫
▫
▫
Mephedrone
Ketamine
GBL/GHB
Emerging ‘legal highs’
‘Problem drug use’
• Estimated 328,267 opiate
and/or crack users
• 173,487 in treatment in 08/09
• 1 in 4 report housing problem
‘The Trainspotting generation’
• Ageing heroin-using population
▫ 03/04 - 28% of clients 35+
▫ 08/09 - 42% of clients 35+
• Challenges for services
• End of Trainspotting generation?
Other trends
• Street benzo use
▫ Used to “top up” poor heroin
▫ Legitimate pills diverted from EU
▫ Counterfeits from Asia/internet
• Subutex use
▫ Popular in prisons
▫ Didn’t show up in prison drug tests
Estimated number of 16 to 59 year olds who report using a drug in the last year 2008/09
3,000,000
2,546,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
974,000
1,000,000
586,000
500,000
338,000
187,000
173,000
80,000
46,000
33,000
0
Source: Home Office (2009) Drug misuse declared: findings from the 2008/09 British Crime Survey
Cannabis
• Approx 1 in 3 (31%) of adults have tried it
• Made Class B in 2009
• Different types:
▫ Cannabis resin
▫ ‘Traditional herbal’ cannabis
▫ Skunk
UK cannabis market
2008
2002
Cannabis
resin, 16%
Imported
herbal,
3%
Homegrown
herbal, 15%
Imported
herbal, 15%
Cannabis
resin,70%
Homegrown
herbal, 81%
Source: Home Office (2008) Cannabis potency study
Quantity of drugs seized by police forces
2004
2005
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Resin cannabis (kg)
14,968
3,738
2,305
2,632
6,082
Cannabis plants (numbers)
77,124 203,374
344,360
508,640
643,296
Source: Home Office (2009) Drug seizures in England and Wales
Industrial strength?
• 1998: UK average potency (THC) 7-9%
• 2008: UK average potency (THC) 12-14%
Stimulant use...
1990s
2000s
2010 and beyond...
Powder power in the 2000s...
% of 16 to 24 year olds reporting having used a drug in the last year
14.00%
12.00%
10.00%
8.00%
Cocaine powder
Ecstasy
6.00%
Amphetamines
4.00%
2.00%
0.00%
1996
1998
2000
2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09
Source: Home Office (2009) Drug misuse declared findings from the 2008/09 BCS
Powder power in the 2000s...
Average purity of cocaine seized 2003-2009
80%
70%
60%
50%
Seized by customs
40%
Seized by police
30%
20%
10%
0%
2003
2004
2005
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Mephedrone
• Rise coincided with low quality
coke & scarcity of MDMA.
• March 2009
• Popular among ‘psychonauts’
• Cheap,available & effective
• Effects similar to cocaine/E
• April 2010
• Made Class B drug
• Reports of hospital admissions
• ‘Linked to’ 20+ deaths
From Shanghai to Skegness...
• Created in 2004 by ‘psychonaut’
chemist
• Made in Chinese labs
▫ 1kg wholesale for £2,600
• Sold online and in headshops
▫ Profit margin for websites
£7,500 per kilo
• Opened door to ‘online’ dealing
• 24 hour a day delivery
What’s next?
• NRG-1
▫ Marketed as naphyrone
• But what is actually in it?
▫ MDPV?
▫ Mephedrone?
▫ Methylone?
Ketamine
• Class C since 2005
• ‘Dissociative anaesthetic’
• Trends in 2009:
• Still popular and available
• Some injecting users
• Evidence of bladder
damage
• Dependence
GHB/GBL
• Liquid solvents dubbed ‘liquid
ecstasy’
• GHB - Class C from 2003
• GBL – made Class C in Jan 2010
• 2009 – addiction/withdrawal cases:
▫ Similar to alcohol dependency
▫ Detox in hospitals near ICUs
▫ Dedicated detox service setup at
Maudsley hospital
It’s in the mix...
• Polydrug use
• 2009 Druglink survey
▫ ‘Junk food’ drug market
▫ Low quality reported
across the board
▫ Pick ‘n mix use of a
range of drugs
Spot the difference...
mephedrone
VS
Naphyrone)
flephedrone
World wired web...
• Internet the ‘future of
drug dealing’?
• What’s next?
▫ Return of £10 pill?
▫ LSD?
▫ Myriad ‘legal’ white
powders...
• Andy McNicoll, communications officer,
DrugScope
[email protected]