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Tuesday, 04 July 2006 09:21 | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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Figures revealed in a report for the Scottish Executive, show that drug addicts in Scotland were handed 3.5million free needles last year.
They were given by syringe exchange schemes to cut the risk of addicts contracting killer diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis C by sharing dirty needles.
The report said nearly 32,000 addicts had used Scotland's 188 needle exchange schemes last year.
But that figure was well below the estimated 50,000 heroin addicts in Scotland -suggesting that thousands were using dirty needles.
SNP drugs spokesman Stewart Stevenson said: "This confirms once again the scale of the heroin addiction problem in Scotland. The important question is whether the people who come into contact with the system are getting the support they need to get clean.
"More than half of addicts want to come off drugs and we should be doing more to support them”.
An Executive spokeswoman said: "We will consider carefully the recommendations, along with existing work to develop a Hepatitis C action plan”.
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