§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his best estimate of the total number of drug users in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythBecause the unauthorised possession and supply of many addictive drugs is a criminal offence, it is difficult to make precise estimates of the number of drug misusers in Scotland; and official estimates of prevalence over each of the last 10 years are not available. However current estimates, based on surveys and other indicators, suggest that there are about 20,000 people in Scotland who regularly or occasionally inject illicit or other drugs. A larger number are likely to take illicit drugs such as cannabis by other means.
To enable a more accurate assessment to be made of the incidence of drug misuse in Scotland, we established the Scottish drug misuse database in August 1990. The database collects anonymised data from medical and non-medical professionals and voluntary agencies.