where exactly do the authorities get their heroin from?

The government is considering whether legal, injectable heroin might be one way to tackle the effects of drug abuse, but where exactly do the authorities get their heroin from?After a trial reported success in tackling use of street drugs and crime, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has suggested that prescribing heroin on the NHS may be the only way to deal with some users. Most people probably think of opium poppies coming from Taliban-controlled fields in Afghanistan or from the Far East's Golden Triangle, but it is perfectly possible to produce opium in the UK.
Diamorphine for the addict treatment trial is produced in the UK
The UK has one diamorphine producerPoppies are grown in Hampshire, Wiltshire and elsewhere in the south of EnglandIndeed, all of the diamorphine - equivalent to heroin - used in the UK's addict treatment trial is produced in the country. Opiates firm Macfarlan Smith, a subsidiary of Johnson Matthey, is the country's sole diamorphine producer.
It holds contracts with farmers in the south of England - including Hampshire and Wiltshire - to grow crops of poppies, says Ian Godwin, communications director for Johnson Matthey. The firm takes the harvest and processes the poppies into what is called "active pharmaceutical ingredient" (API). This API is then passed on to a UK pharmaceuticals firm to be turned into doses. The processing of opium poppies is done under government licence in "extremely secure" conditions.

The world's pharmaceutical firms get their poppies from everywhere from Spain to India, but the biggest producer is Tasmania in Australia. In Tasmania, a thousand farmers grow poppies across about 13,000 acres and it is one of the island's major exports.

The growing of poppies there can only be done under licence and there are strict controls on access to the field. Possession of opium poppies is a crime. Heroin is not just for addicts but also for other medical uses
The heroin prescription trial in the UK, which is being run at the National Addiction Centre, initially used diamorphine imported specially from Switzerland and distinct from the NHS's own stockpile. It moved to using British diamorphine when that became a cheap enough option. The cost of a year's diamorphine treatment for an addict is about £15,000, although this includes administering and supervising the injections. There have been similar trials involving pharmaceutical heroin in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Canada. But the UK also has another use for diamorphine. It continues to be used in palliative care, to relieve pain in terminally ill people. A recent problem with supply led to many doctors using other opioids, says Dr Bill Noble, president of the Association for Palliative Medicine. "It is virtually the same as using morphine. The only difference is that diamorphine is much more soluble than morphine, which means you can have much lower volume injections."A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
It is also used as part of the treatment for some patients with acute heart failure.
Diamorphine does not tend to be used in other countries for palliative purposes simply because it is illegal, says Dr Noble.

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Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole

Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole, a veterinary anti-parasitic drug. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a nationwide health alert to medical professionals, substance abuse treatment centers and other public health authorities.
In humans, levamisole can cause agranulocytosis, a serious, sometimes fatal blood disorder. Ingesting cocaine mixed with levamisole can seriously reduce a person's white blood cells, suppressing immune function and the body's ability to fight off even minor infections, according to SAMHSA. People who use crack or powdered cocaine laced with levamisole can experience overwhelming, rapidly-developing, life-threatening infections, the agency said in a news release.Other serious side effects can also occur. If you use cocaine watch out for:
High fever, chills, or weakness.
Swollen glands,Painful sores (mouth, anal)
Infections that won't go away or gets worse very fast
Skin infections, abscesses
Thrush (white coating of the mouth, tongue, or throat)
Pneumonia (fever, cough, shortness of breath)
"SAMHSA and other public health authorities are working together to inform everyone of this serious potential public health risk and what measures are being taken to address it," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick.
The number of reported cases of agranulocytosis due to tainted cocaine use is expected to increase as information about levamisole is disseminated through the medical community. Thus far, 20 known cases and two deaths have been confirmed.According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Columbia cocaine producers are lacing their product with the medication to give it an extra kick.

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British and South African authorities have made a record heroin seizure following on operation at London's Heathrow Airport

British and South African authorities have made a record heroin seizure following on operation at London's Heathrow Airport and raids in both countries, officials said.Immigration officials discovered some of the drugs hidden in souvenirs from South Africa at Heathrow, sparking an investigation that netted 360 kilograms of heroin in total, the UK Border Agency said.Seven people have been arrested in both countries over the total seizure, worth $US41 million, the agency said.Thousands of kilograms of cannabis were also discovered, the agency said."This latest detection of heroin at Heathrow, believed to be our biggest ever, highlights our success in preventing class A drugs entering the UK," said Philip Astle, the UK Border Agency's Heathrow director.About 165 kilograms were discovered at Heathrow, a record seizure for the world's busiest airport, on September 9 in the consignment of souvenirs.After an investigation, police seized another 80 kilograms and arrested two people in Kent, south-east England, charging one with conspiracy to import drugs and possession, the agency said.Acting on information from Britain, South African police arrested five people, including three British nationals, and seized 115 kilograms of heroin and 6,500 kilograms of cannabis in a warehouse outside Durban. "These seizures are a great example of what can happen when partners work together, said Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency deputy director Andy Sellers."Both ends of this international chain have been attacked, and a significant amount of heroin and cannabis has been kept off the UK's streets." Staff at Heathrow airport uncovered drugs when they stopped a consignment of souvenirs from South Africa earlier this month.On closer inspection, they found 165kg of heroin hidden in the goods.
Officials from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) were alerted and a house was raided in Maidstone, Kent, where more heroin was discovered.
There have also been searches in Durban, South Africa, where further drug finds were made.A total of 360kg of heroin has now been recovered, as well as 6,500kg of herbal cannabis resin.The estimated street value of the drugs is £25m.Seven people have been arrested, including five in South Africa and two in Britain.Sky's home affairs correspondent Mark White said: "This is being hailed as a great success for the UK Border Agency which, in conjunction with SOCA, managed to thwart what was a huge shipment of the class A drug heroin into the UK."The agency claims to have managed to intercept an international drug smuggling ring, he added.The discovery of the heroin was made a week ago but details of the bust were kept secret while operations were still active.

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Brighton,known as the "drugs death capital" of the UK, with per capita mortality rates higher than any other city.

Brighton,known as the "drugs death capital" of the UK, with per capita mortality rates higher than any other city. The city has held this unwanted title for six out of the last eight years – despite costly intervention schemes and dedicated work by police and health services to reduce drug supply and demand.With this – and an estimated 2,300 injecting heroin users – in mind, it's hard to fault Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust for agreeing to support a trial centre, and when I heard about the project, I jumped at the chance to join the nursing team.So, I've been giving people heroin for the last two years. People have often asked me if I think the treatment works. I do. I've seen it first-hand. But until yesterday, you would have had to take my word for it. Now scientifically rigorous evidence is out there.Our trial participants were all long-term heroin addicts who had failed to benefit from existing treatment options. They continued to inject heroin daily, or on most days, and their drug use was considered intractable. In my experience, many had little hope for their own recovery.The results show that, of those receiving injectable heroin, a substantial majority had either dramatically reduced their illicit heroin use or ceased altogether after six months' treatment, although marked improvements were seen after just six weeks. The average weekly spend on illicit heroin, per client, dropped from £300 to £50.The cost of injectable heroin treatment is estimated at £15,000 per person annually, compared to regular methadone treatment at about £3,000. It looks expensive, but if you add in the crime bill, this group of people actually costs less to treat with heroin than with oral methadone. Prison, which has limited therapeutic benefits, costs £44,000 a year. Not treating this group of people at all also comes with a massive bill. Estimates of an annual drug expenditure of £15,000 to £30,000 per addict are not uncommon. If this sum is to be raised through acquisitive crime, as is often the case, goods worth perhaps three times that value need to be stolen.Trial participants showed gains in physical and mental health, social functioning and, I can report anecdotally, self-respect. Almost all of the clients at my clinic have chosen to stop injecting twice a day and only come once in the morning. Two are living drug free. And nobody died.

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Mobile phones and SIM cards have been found in cells at Bristol Prison

Mobile phones and SIM cards have been found in cells at Bristol Prison an average of three times a month, Government figures have revealed.
Officers discovered 18 handsets and 14 SIM cards had been smuggled into the Category B prison in Horfield over the last financial year.
That translates to one in 19 inmates having the potential to make uncontrolled contact with the outside world.
But as the figures only relate to phones and cards found by the authorities, the true scale of the problem could be far greater.
The Liberal Democrats used the records, which were released in Parliament, to claim that prisons were out of control.

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On-duty NHS specialists are set to join a hi-tech government crackdown on the smuggling of class A drugs into the UK

On-duty NHS specialists are set to join a hi-tech government crackdown on the smuggling of class A drugs into the UK by scrutinising live x-rays

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Scheme in which heroin is given to addicts in supervised clinics has led to big reductions in the use of street drugs and crime

Scheme in which heroin is given to addicts in supervised clinics has led to big reductions in the use of street drugs and crime, the BBC has learned. More than 100 users took part in the pilot – part funded by the government – in London, Brighton and Darlington. They either injected heroin or received the drug’s substitute methadone. Those given heroin responded best and an independent panel which monitored the scheme over six months are advising ministers to set up further trials. About three-quarters of those given heroin were said to have "substantially" reduced their use of street drugs. Research suggests that between half and two-thirds of all crime in the UK is drug-related. The Home Office says on its website that about three-quarters of crack and heroin users claim they commit crime to feed their habits.
PILOT SCHEME FINDINGS
Three-quarters reduced use of street heroin
Offences down from 1,731 in 30 days to 547 in six months
Spending on drugs down from £300 to £50 a week
Figures for group given heroin Professor John Strang, who led the project, said the results were "very positive" because the scheme had helped cut crime and avoid "expensive" prison sentences. Professor Strang, who is based at the National Addiction Centre, part of King’s Health Partners, said the individuals on the programme were among those who had been the hardest to treat. "It’s as if each of them is an oil tanker heading for disaster and so the purpose of this trial is to see: ‘Can you turn them around Is it possible to avert disaster’ "And the surprising finding – which is good for the individuals and good for society as well – is that you can," he said. The Randomised Injecting Opioid Treatment Trial (RIOTT) programme – which is funded by a number of agencies, including the Department of Health – began in 2005. It involved 127 chronic heroin addicts for whom conventional types of treatment had failed. Many of the addicts were also using other substances, including crack cocaine. During the trials, a third of addicts were given the heroin substitute methadone orally and another third injected methadone under supervision. The remainder, observed by nurses, injected themselves with diamorphine – unadulterated heroin – imported from Switzerland.
National roll-out,Those on the programme were also given psychological support and help with their housing and social needs. The results showed that addicts in all three groups cut the amount of heroin they obtained illicitly from street dealers. According to researchers, more than half of the heroin injecting group were said to be "largely abstinent" and one-in-five did not use street heroin at all. Before they began the programme, the addicts in the heroin injecting group were spending more than £300 a week on street drugs. After six months, this had reduced to an average of £50 a week."It used to be about chasing the buzz, but when you go on the programme you just want to feel comfortable"John, RIOTT participant
There was also a big drop in the number of offences addicts admitted committing to obtain money to feed their habit. In the previous month before the scheme started, addicts in the heroin injecting group reported carrying out 1,731 crimes. After six months, this had fallen to 547 offences – a reduction of more than two-thirds. One of the heroin addicts on the programme, a 34-year-old man called John, had been addicted for eight years when the trials began. He fed his habit by dealing. "My life was just a shambles… waking up, chasing money, chasing drugs," he said.
But John said the scheme had transformed his life "100 per cent" and he now had a part-time job. "It used to be about chasing the buzz, but when you go on the programme you just want to feel comfortable," he said.
"I’ve started reducing my dose gradually, so that maybe in a few months time I’ll be able to come off it altogether, drug free totally." In its drug strategy, published last year, the government said it would "roll out" the prescription of injectible heroin, subject to the findings of the pilot scheme. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), which administers drug treatment in England, said the results were "encouraging". The NTA said an independent expert group, set up to advise the government, had concluded that there was enough "positive evidence of the benefits" of the programme to merit further pilots. The NTA is understood to be keen to evaluate the financial implications of the scheme. At £15,000 per user per year, supervised heroin injecting is three times more expensive than other treatments.

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PREGNANT Filipinas are the favorite “carriers” of drug syndicates bringing illegal drugs to China and Malaysia

PREGNANT Filipinas are the favorite “carriers” of drug syndicates bringing illegal drugs to China and Malaysia, according to former labor undersecretary Susan Ople, head of the Blas Ople Policy Center. Ople’s group is helping overseas Filipino workers victimized by drug syndicates. She said these groups use pregnant women as drug mules because they are least to be eyed as couriers and they get lighter penalties if they get arrested

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controversial scheme to give addicts heroin at supervised clinics has led to a reduction in crime.

controversial scheme to give addicts heroin at supervised clinics has led to a reduction in crime. More than a hundred addicts took part in the scheme in London, Brighton and Darlington which was part funded by the government. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8254872.stm
Here's a report by Danny Shaw, the BBC home affairs correspondent:
Is this the right approach to tackling the problem of drugs and crime? If you've been a drug user or the victim of drug related crime are you in favour of this approach? Are you happy with any measures that reduce crime or do you feel that this is an example of society going soft on drug addicts?
In 1994 the Swiss embarked on their Heroin Assisted Treatment project. This resulted in a significant improvement of health (both mentally and physically) for the majority of the over 1200 participants. In addition, a massive reduction in criminal behavior was observed.The HAT outpatient centers are spread over the following Swiss cities : Basel, Bern, Biel, Brugg, Burgdorf, Chur, Geneva, Horgen, Lucerne, Olten, Reinach, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thun, Winterthur, Wetzikon, Zug, Zürich and in two prisons Oberschöngrün (canton Solthurn) and Realtà
The Swiss Federal office for public health reports that :
In many cases, patients’ physical and mental health has improved, their housing situation has become considerably more stable, and they have gradually managed to find employment. Numerous participants have managed to reduce their debts. In most cases, contacts with addicts and the drug scene have decreased. Consumption of non-prescribed substances declined significantly in the course of treatment.
Dramatic changes have been seen in the situation regarding crime. While the proportion of patients who obtained their income from illegal or borderline activities at the time of enrollment was 70%, the figure after 18 months of HAT was only 10%.Each year, between 180 and 200 patients discontinue HAT. Of these patients, 35-45% are transferred to methadone maintenance, and 23-27% to abstinence-based treatment.The average costs per patient-day at outpatient treatment centers in 1998 came to CHF 51. The overall economic benefit - based on savings in criminal investigations and prison terms and on improvements in health - was calculated to be CHF 96. After deduction of costs, the net benefit is CHF 45 per patient-day.

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