Over 1300 syringes handed out every day
We revealed last year that 500,000 free syringes and needles were handed out across Lanarkshire to users of illicit drugs.
A report showed that an estimated 6900 people received‘injecting equipment provision’from the NHS for 2015/16.
The annual figures show that 476,387 needless and syringes were distributed – an average of 1305 every day across the county.
At the time, Maureen Woods, team leader of NHS Lanarkshire’s Harm Reduction Team, said:“The purpose of injecting equipment provision (IEP) is harm reduction as providing injecting equipment has been found to be effective in reducing injecting risk behaviours in people who inject drugs.
“There are a number of health risks associated with injecting drug use, including bacterial infections such as septicaemia and tetanus and abscesses, cellulitis and collapsed veins which can result from injecting with a blunt needle.”
Due to‘data collection issues’in 2014/15, NHS Lanarkshire data was not deemed reliable enough. In 2013/14 the number of needles and syringes distributed was 393,689. The 2012/13 number was 370,049 and in 2011/12 it was 356,178.
Across Lanarkshire, an average of 69 needles and syringes were distributed per‘problem drug user’in 2015/16. Across Scotland, 4.7million needles and syringes were distributed – an average of 77 per user.