19,000 'have drugs problem'

The most recent figures from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System show that 19,000 people were seeking treatment for a drug problem in London in 2001/2002.

Over half of them (57 per cent) said that heroin was their main drug.

Drugs charity Drugscope said there was evidence that smoking heroin was on the increase in the UK in recent years. A spokeswoman said sniffing or smoking the drug - known as chasing the dragon - both eliminated the fear of acquiring syringeborne diseases such as Aids - but also avoided any concerns about using syringes to inject the drug.

However, the spokeswoman said smoking heroin often led to the more serious habit of injecting the drug.