The continuing dominance of heroin in Strathclyde seizures emphasises the different nature of the Scottish drugs problem.
Latest information from the European Centre for Monitoring Drugs and Drug Abuse in Lisbon suggests that while heroin continues to be the major burden on public health services across Europe, the use of ecstasy appears to have peaked with amphetamines and cocaine replacing it as the drugs of choice.
The decline of ecstasy appears to relate directly to the fact that the house dance culture has peaked. Deaths from ecstasy and amphetamines remain rare.
The UK is confirmed as having the highest levels of drug abuse in Europe with consumption levels of a range of drugs as much as five times higher than in France or Germany.
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