Spotlight on children treated in A&E after taking drugs

Light has been shed on the number of children admitted to Tayside A&E departments after taking illegal drugs.

An investigation has found children as young as 10 – but potentially even younger – have ingested substances including ecstasy, amphetamines, methadone and so-called legal highs in the last four years.

This year a minimum of 24 children have received treatment for overdosing on drugs, at least eight of them – aged between 11 and 15 – because they had taken the substances “recreationally”.

NHS Tayside has not given exact figures due to the small number of children involved.

At least one child aged between one and 10 was taken to A&E for an opiate overdose.

Several children have also been treated for overdosing on multiple drugs.

Over the last four years at least 114 children have had treatment in A&E for taking drugs.

Councillor Georgia Cruickshank, spokeswoman for children and families services on the opposition Labour group at Dundee City Council, said: “The statistics are appalling and it is a sad indictment of the state of affairs of today’s society. It upsets me. It is an epidemic that we don’t appear to be getting to grips with.

“I campaigned hard to get legal highs out of the shops and was successful in that.

“Unless we get to grips with the black market, there is very little hope of reducing these.”

Dr Michael Johnston, consultant in emergency medicine at NHS Tayside, said: “There is no safe way to take drugs recreationally, and the only way for people to ensure they don’t come to harm from drugs is avoid using them.”