Drug curse of Glasgow children
Ewan Fergus Evening Times
173 overdoses in a year
Up to 50 under-13s on heroin
5 child cocaine overdoses
UP to 50 youngsters under 13 are taking heroin in Glasgow, a leading drugs worker revealed today. Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at Glasgow University said his studies indicated substantial numbers of children in the city were growing up in homes where drugs were available.
He spoke out as new figures released to the Evening Times under Freedom of Information showed kids as young as 11 and 12 are ending up in hospital after overdosing on a variety of drugs.
In the year 2007/2008 there were 173 hospital admissions for under 18s suffering from what medics class as self harm by drug overdose' across the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
Two admissions last year involved 11-year-olds and four involved 12-year-olds.
Every year for the past three years a child in Glasgow has been treated in hospital after a heroin overdose. In that time, five cases of child cocaine overdose have also been recorded.
The figures also show 37 cases of youngsters suffering mental and behavioural disorders due to drugs.
As well as heroin and cocaine, drugs taken by kids include methadone, morphine and codeine, sedatives, anti-depressants, analgesics and painkillers. The majority of cases last year - 85 - involved analgesics.
The findings tally with research carried out by Professor McKeganey, who said the figures are shocking but not surprising.
He added: "When young people of these ages, including young children, are admitted in relation to these drugs, some of which are amongst the hardest drugs available, it is shocking, but sadly not entirely surprising.
"We have carried out research which indicated there are up to 50 children in Glasgow who have started to use heroin before age 13.
"That research and these figures show substantial numbers of children are growing up in homes where drugs are available. That is why we are seeing young children of a shockingly young age being admitted to hospital for drug abuse.
"Research also shows that where children have someone in their family using drugs, those children are seven times more likely than other children to use drugs."
He said schools are struggling to deal with drug-using youngsters, adding: "These children are in the greatest need of assistance, but they also pose a considerable risk to their peers. They can be the route through which their peers access illegal drugs.
"It's not often easy for schools to identify which children are using drugs because they look no different to their peers.
"It's only by speaking to these children and understanding their family circumstances that you can identify which children are at greatest risk.
Schools are often wary of labelling children as coming from a drug-using home. But if services don't know who these children are, we can't help them."
Professor McKeganey added: "Child drug abuse in Glasgow is inevitably going to be worse than other areas of Scotland because the scale of Glasgow's drug problem is so much worse than elsewhere."
The 173 admissions for drug overdose among under 18s last year took place at Vale of Leven Hospital, Inverclyde, the Royal Alexandra in Paisley and the Royal, Stobhill, the Victoria, Southern General, Yorkhill and the Western/Gartnavel in Glasgow.
The number of admissions was down slightly on the previous year (2006/2007) when there were 189 but up on the year before that (2005/2006) when there were 166.
SNP MSP Stuart McMillan, vice-convener of the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on drug and alcohol misuse, said the figures uncovered by the Evening Times are "extremely concerning".
The West of Scotland MSP said: "I'm extremely concerned by the admissions - it is 173 too many.
"The Government announced a new drug strategy in the summer and that will take time to have a positive effect. It's going to take time and effort to combat the scourge of drugs in communities.
"Parents, too, have a responsibility for their children - that goes without saying. The last thing we want is the state going into people's homes and living their lives for them, but with these stats, and the evidence that's presented of drugs in the home, there is obviously a strategy that needs to be in place."
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokeswoman said: "We, with Glasgow City Council, provide support to over 300 young people under 18 years at any one time.
"Our community addiction teams have dedicated youth addiction workers who work with our most vulnerable young people offering intensive support, closely working with the children service's team.
"We offer one-to-one support, group work and direct access to a range of treatments."
Horrific case of heroin user, aged 11
THE case of an 11-year-old who collapsed at a Glasgow primary school after using heroin shocked the country in January 2006.
The girl, who cannot be named, was placed on an addiction treatment programme at Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children.
Following the case, Scotland's then First Minister Jack McConnell promised to "step up" efforts to educate young people about the danger of drugs.
Last year Fergus Ewing, Minister for Community Safety, promised £94million would be spent fighting Scotland's drug problem.
He told Parliament: "Our strategy sets out a vision where fewer peo-ple start using drugs, where early intervention prevents and reduces the harms caused by drugs, where more people recover to make a positive contribution to society, and where communities are stronger and safer places to live and work."