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Not mentioned in the article: The Scottish heroin epidemic started in Edinburgh, the more prosperous of Scotland's two largest cities. This was largely due to

Not mentioned in the article: The Scottish heroin epidemic started in Edinburgh, the more prosperous of Scotland's two largest cities. This was largely due to the presence of MacFarlan Smith, which was at one point the world's largest producer of pharmaceutical opiates. That initial cohort of heroin users in the 1980s predominantly used drugs that were diverted from the legitimate pharmaceutical supply rather than smuggled from abroad, which led to an unusually rapid increase in the user population and the illicit market. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacFarlan_Smith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacFarlan_Smith The majority of overdose deaths in Scotland involved multiple drugs; for reasons that are not entirely clear, Scottish addicts are particularly prone to concurrently use opiates, benzodiazepines and alcohol in an indiscriminate manner. This vastly increases the risk of overdose due to the cumulative and unpredictable respiratory depression induced by multiple drugs. http://www.sdf.org.uk/934-deaths-from-a-drug-overdose-in-scotland-in-2017/ http://www.sdf.org.uk/934-deaths-from-a-drug-overdose-in-sco...

yostrovs 7y ago
Redheads are known to have greater pain tolerance. Perhaps there's a relationship to that phenomenon here.
- thedudeabides5 7y ago
  Watch out @yostrovs, HN is not a safe space for humor attempts.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - yostrovs 7y ago
    Though I did find my comment amusing, I do believe there may be something to it. It is a fact that redheads have higher pain tolerance and respond differently to anesthesia compared to the rest of the population. Considering these phenomena are related to drug abuse, I feel like the downvoting is a matter of ignorance.
Theodores 7y ago
That is rare information. Never heard of MacFarlan Smith before. To add to the cocktail of drugs there is also glue sniffing. South of the border you will never see anyone sniffing glue and I doubt there are many people in England who wake up in the morning with a burning desire to sit in the street sniffing glue. But this goes on in Glasgow. I found this shocking to see. There is also 'Bucky' that alcohol that is not sold south of the border. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine 15% alcohol in what is effectively an energy drink. Happy times.
- C1sc0cat 7y ago
  I recall talking to a colleague from Edinburgh (with a PHD ) who commented she as considered a lightweight as she cut her bucky with lemonade.
- feu 7y ago
  Buckie is definitely sold south of the border. I've moved from Scotland to England and I see Buckie for sale in cornershops here with the same frequency I would in Scotland. Buckfast is made at an abbey in England, it doesn't originate in Scotland.
- meheleventyone 7y ago
  There is plenty of solvent abuse outside of Scotland including glue sniffing.
- CalRobert 7y ago
  Ah, Buckfast is viewed with a bit of affection in Ireland (the Republic) as well. Though I've never seen anyone actually drink it.
  - soylentcola 7y ago
    I did a semester in Ireland back in the 90's and it was an occasional purchase by myself and other college students. Basically along the lines of how we'd get 40oz malt liquor in the states (or later on, those alcopops with caffeine like Sparks). They don't taste good but they're cheap and strong so they were popular with college kids looking to hang out and get buzzed with friends. Even then we sort of did it with a wink and a grin, knowing that we were drinking some pretty "trashy" stuff. "Buckfast gets you fucked fast!" was the common joke.
C1sc0cat 7y ago
The schemes on the outskirts are pretty grim as where parts of Leith
giobox 7y ago
The Macfarlan Smith link is interesting and not something I’ve ever heard before. Is there any other information on this on the web or elsewhere? A google for “Macfarlan Smith” and “Heroin” only returns your comment here as best I could find in a few minutes of searching.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  As a pharmaceutical product, heroin is called diamorphine, which should turn up more information. This article from The Scotsman newspaper mentions the theft of diamorphine from the MacFarlan Smith factory. https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/drug-menace-off-the-streets-1-1608022 https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/drug-menace-off-the-st...
  - giobox 7y ago
    Thanks for the link!
    - jdietrich 7y ago
      You may also be interested in this interview with Dr Roy Robertson, who was one of the first to identify the heroin problem in Edinburgh and the subsequent outbreak of HIV/AIDS. https://www.holyrood.com/articles/inside-politics/choose-life-dr-roy-robertson-front-line-harm-reduction https://www.holyrood.com/articles/inside-politics/choose-lif...
- GavriloPrincep 7y ago
  The first of Irvine Welsh's "Trainspotting" books, the prequel "Skagboys", has that factory as a core component of a few of its story lines. I though Skagboys was at least as good as Trainspotting, and I'm glad I read it first.
dls2016 7y ago
> The majority of overdose deaths in Scotland involved multiple drugs; for reasons that are not entirely clear, Scottish addicts are particularly prone to concurrently use opiates, benzodiazepines and alcohol in an indiscriminate manner. I don't believe this is specific to Scotland. My layperson understanding is that heroin is relatively safe in the sense that most opioid deaths fall into one of the following categories: multiple drug interaction (benzos/alcohol being a very common combination), tolerance change due to relapse and, more recently, increased variance in potency due to strong synthetics (fentynyl, carfentanil, etc.). This is the theory behind people who advocate for maintenance prescriptions.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  59% of drug overdose deaths in Scotland involved a benzodiazepine, compared to less than 16% in England and Wales. Scotland has an unusually serious and rapidly increasing problem of benzodiazepine-related deaths. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2016registrations https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsde...

yostrovs 7y ago

Redheads are known to have greater pain tolerance. Perhaps there's a relationship to that phenomenon here.

thedudeabides5 7y ago
Watch out @yostrovs, HN is not a safe space for humor attempts.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- yostrovs 7y ago
  Though I did find my comment amusing, I do believe there may be something to it. It is a fact that redheads have higher pain tolerance and respond differently to anesthesia compared to the rest of the population. Considering these phenomena are related to drug abuse, I feel like the downvoting is a matter of ignorance.

Theodores 7y ago

That is rare information. Never heard of MacFarlan Smith before. To add to the cocktail of drugs there is also glue sniffing. South of the border you will never see anyone sniffing glue and I doubt there are many people in England who wake up in the morning with a burning desire to sit in the street sniffing glue. But this goes on in Glasgow. I found this shocking to see. There is also 'Bucky' that alcohol that is not sold south of the border. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine 15% alcohol in what is effectively an energy drink. Happy times.

C1sc0cat 7y ago
I recall talking to a colleague from Edinburgh (with a PHD ) who commented she as considered a lightweight as she cut her bucky with lemonade.
feu 7y ago
Buckie is definitely sold south of the border. I've moved from Scotland to England and I see Buckie for sale in cornershops here with the same frequency I would in Scotland. Buckfast is made at an abbey in England, it doesn't originate in Scotland.
meheleventyone 7y ago
There is plenty of solvent abuse outside of Scotland including glue sniffing.
CalRobert 7y ago
Ah, Buckfast is viewed with a bit of affection in Ireland (the Republic) as well. Though I've never seen anyone actually drink it.
- soylentcola 7y ago
  I did a semester in Ireland back in the 90's and it was an occasional purchase by myself and other college students. Basically along the lines of how we'd get 40oz malt liquor in the states (or later on, those alcopops with caffeine like Sparks). They don't taste good but they're cheap and strong so they were popular with college kids looking to hang out and get buzzed with friends. Even then we sort of did it with a wink and a grin, knowing that we were drinking some pretty "trashy" stuff. "Buckfast gets you fucked fast!" was the common joke.

C1sc0cat 7y ago

The schemes on the outskirts are pretty grim as where parts of Leith

giobox 7y ago

The Macfarlan Smith link is interesting and not something I’ve ever heard before. Is there any other information on this on the web or elsewhere? A google for “Macfarlan Smith” and “Heroin” only returns your comment here as best I could find in a few minutes of searching.

jdietrich 7y ago
As a pharmaceutical product, heroin is called diamorphine, which should turn up more information. This article from The Scotsman newspaper mentions the theft of diamorphine from the MacFarlan Smith factory. https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/drug-menace-off-the-streets-1-1608022 https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/drug-menace-off-the-st...
- giobox 7y ago
  Thanks for the link!
  - jdietrich 7y ago
    You may also be interested in this interview with Dr Roy Robertson, who was one of the first to identify the heroin problem in Edinburgh and the subsequent outbreak of HIV/AIDS. https://www.holyrood.com/articles/inside-politics/choose-life-dr-roy-robertson-front-line-harm-reduction https://www.holyrood.com/articles/inside-politics/choose-lif...
GavriloPrincep 7y ago
The first of Irvine Welsh's "Trainspotting" books, the prequel "Skagboys", has that factory as a core component of a few of its story lines. I though Skagboys was at least as good as Trainspotting, and I'm glad I read it first.

dls2016 7y ago

> The majority of overdose deaths in Scotland involved multiple drugs; for reasons that are not entirely clear, Scottish addicts are particularly prone to concurrently use opiates, benzodiazepines and alcohol in an indiscriminate manner. I don't believe this is specific to Scotland. My layperson understanding is that heroin is relatively safe in the sense that most opioid deaths fall into one of the following categories: multiple drug interaction (benzos/alcohol being a very common combination), tolerance change due to relapse and, more recently, increased variance in potency due to strong synthetics (fentynyl, carfentanil, etc.). This is the theory behind people who advocate for maintenance prescriptions.

jdietrich 7y ago
59% of drug overdose deaths in Scotland involved a benzodiazepine, compared to less than 16% in England and Wales. Scotland has an unusually serious and rapidly increasing problem of benzodiazepine-related deaths. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2016registrations https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsde...