The number of people turning to hard drugs like heroin or cocaine has fallen to a record low, according to new figures.

The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) has recently revealed that in  2005 and 2006 there were 332,090 drug users, but this dropped to 298,752 users in 2010/2011.

Part of this is due to drug treatment programmes such as those offered by the NTA, which reaches 63 per cent of heroin and crack cocaine addicts.

Paul Hayes, chief executive of the NTA said that not only is drug use “plummeting” but some of the older users of hard drugs are increasingly turning to drug rehabilitation programmes in order to turn their lives around.
He said: “The drug population is ageing. We have very few people in their teens and twenties using heroin and crack, and more in treatment in their 40s and 50s who are frailer and more difficult to turn around in the system.”

The agency also added that the reduction in heroin use has been faster in areas where the heroin epidemics first took place, such as London and the north-west.

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