Guernsey drugs policy 'fuels prescription abuse'

The street price in Guernsey for some painkillers is up to ten times more than in the UK, consultant psychiatrist Greg Lydall said

Guernsey's hard line on illegal drugs is fuelling the black market for prescription drugs, a drugs and alcohol strategy coordinator has said.

About 82% of drug-related deaths in the island involved prescription drugs between 2002 and 2011, figures from the Community Drug and Alcohol Team showed.

Only 14% of deaths involved heroin, and none involved cocaine or amphetamines.

Andrea Nightingale said drug abusers would always try to find an alternative if their choice drug was unavailable.

She told the BBC: "They will look to use an alternative and this is where the abuse of prescription drugs can be a temptation."

Prescription drugs include methadone, tramadol, fentanyl and anti-depressants.

'Potent painkillers'

Greg Lydall, consultant psychiatrist for the Community Drug and Alcohol Team, said: "If you seek drug treatment in the UK there is a greater than 90% chance you will be using heroin or crack cocaine but there is very little of that in Guernsey.

"Our patients who are dependent on drugs tended to be dependent on pharmaceutical drugs, particularly addictive potent painkillers and sedative drugs."

In England and Wales, 50% of drug-related deaths involved prescription drugs between 2002 and 2011, while 29% involved heroin, according to the Office for National Statistics.

States prescribing officer Geraldine O'Riordan said doctors in Guernsey had "halved" the prescription of opioid analgesics, a strong form of pain relief drug, in five years.

Guernsey's community drug and alcohol team is currently dealing with about 200 referrals a year.