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TABLE A10

Public Health

Health Related Behaviour: Users presenting to drug misuse services for the first time
England	Numbers

	Six months ending
Main drug	Sept	Sept	Mar	Sept	Mar	Sept	Mar
	1993	1998	1999	1999	2000	2000	2001
Total number of users	16,810	28,599	28,499	30,545	31,815	33,093	33,234
Heroin	7,720	16,081	16,772	17,936	20,112	21,234	22,431
Methadone	3,035	3,088	3,029	2,893	2,898	3,258	2,709
Other opiates	547	633	544	591	601	647	550
Amphetamines	1,841	2,490	2,367	2,334	1,383	1,159	875
Cannabis	1,078	2,775	2,894	3,342	3,340	3,057	2,934
Cocaine	497	1,668	1,627	2,075	2,039	2,032	2,338
Benzodiazepines	844	693	564	618	601	626	509
Ecstasy	186	196	173	238	325	429	413
Solvents	172	157	139	165	176	150	113
Other drugs	515	471	390	353	340	501	362
Drug free	375	347	-	-	-	-	-

Source: Regional Drug Misuse Databases	Contact:Rosemary Lane 020 7972 1724 (email: rosemary.lane@doh.gsi.gov.uk)
See General Notes Section

• During the six month period ending March 2001, the number of users reported as presenting to drug misuse agencies increased marginally by 0.4% from the previous six month period (to 33,200).  
• Half (50%) of those presenting were in their twenties and around one in seven (13%) were aged under 20.  
• About three times as many men as women presented to drug misuse services.  
• The most commonly used "main drug" was heroin (used by 67%), followed by cannabis (9%), methadone (8%), cocaine (7%) and amphetamines (3%).  

TABLE A10

Public Health

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