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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Action needed to prevent drug deaths in Swansea
August 25, 2010 12:00 AM
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has called on the Welsh Government to take action to bolster drug treatment services in Swansea, following the news that drugs-related deaths in Wales have risen by 67% in three years.
Statistics from the International Centre for Drugs Policy show that 102 drugs-related deaths were recorded in Wales in 2009, compared to 69 in 2006.
Mr. Black said that the situation is particularly acute in Swansea where agencies have estimated that there are roughly 7,000 heroin users. However, despite that there are only 450 treatment places. An addict seeking treatment could wait 6 to 9 months to get a place.
"The truth is that the best way to get treated for drug addiction across Wales is to commit a crime," said Mr. Black. "That cannot be right and I will be raising it again with the health minister. I will also be raising with her the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the City.
"Hepatitis is 100 times more infectious that HIV. Hepatitis B can be prevented through vaccination. But the budget to deliver that service is underfunded and needs to be reviewed."
Mr. Black recently spent some time with the homeless nurse, who works with substance misusers in Swansea. He discovered that in addition to heroin use there a growing steroid-abuse problem in the City, with many users accessing needle exchanges to assist them with their habit.
"It seems to me that the substance misuse services in Swansea are massively under-resourced," he added. "Unless the Welsh Government help professionals in meeting the demand from addicts, often with chaotic lifestyles, then the death toll will rise."
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