The launch of a clinical trial to tackle street benzodiazepine use has been welcomed by the Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister for Scotland Maree Todd.
The £2.6M trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, is the first of its kind.
The three-year study includes Lancaster University, the University of Stirling, University of Aberdeen, University of Bristol, University of Edinburgh as well as clinical specialists at three Scottish health boards - NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Tayside.
Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister for Scotland Maree Todd said: "We want to make sure everyone gets the treatment they need. I welcome this trial, which follows a successful Scottish Government-funded feasibility study. It will help provide an evidence base as we continue to strive to save and improve lives."
The trial will assess whether prescribing a stable dose of diazepam alongside additional support can help prevent harmful drug use and reduce drug-related deaths.
The research is to be conducted across seven sites in Scotland and England including Blackpool which has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in England - four times greater than the average across the country. This reflects a background of severe multiple disadvantage where men in the most deprived part of the town die 13 years sooner than those in the least deprived. For women, the gap in life expectancy is seven years.
The Blackpool arm of the trial will be run by Dr Euan Lawson, Senior Clinical Lecturer in General Practice at Lancaster Medical School.
Benzodiazepines are medicines commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep problems in the short term. However, their use alongside opioids such as heroin is widespread among people who use street drugs, and this combination has been strongly linked to the high rate of drug-related deaths.
While opioid dependency can be safely managed through opioid agonist treatment (OAT) with methadone or buprenorphine, there is currently no equivalent treatment for people dependent on benzodiazepines.
This gap in care has contributed to the increasing use of unpredictable and often dangerous street-sourced benzodiazepines, which can contain unknown or highly potent substances, and are associated with blackouts, overdose, and death.
Dr Lawson said: "New drugs are being synthesised which are more dangerous and result in higher risk of overdose and death in anyone who uses street benzodiazepines. This clinical trial addresses a longstanding gap in our knowledge to help a neglected group of people who are often stigmatised and will give us robust evidence to tackle the urgent crisis of drug-related deaths."
The Blackpool Drug Harm Reduction Strategy has set out strategic priorities including the need to be trauma informed, reduce stigma, and find effective interventions to reduce deaths and help people into recovery.
