title: A city looks at its problem of drug abuse by injection.
abstract: A retrospective, multi-source screening study has detected 148 users (110 males, 38 females) of intravenous drugs who presented to all relevant agencies between 1971 and 1973 in Bristol, a city where maintenance therapy is a very infrequent practice. The peak prevalence was found in the age group 20-24 years, and it appeared that the chief sources of drugs were burglaries of chemists' shops and general practitioner prescriptions. Sixty-four per cent of our users had not been notified to the Home Office. Suggestions are made for the future monitoring and development of services.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001463:Barbiturates; D003415:Crime; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology; D006753:Hospital Records; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008691:Methadone; D009021:Morphine Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology; D009892:Opium; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011996:Records; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D001463:Barbiturates; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D009892:Opium; D008691:Methadone