THE HIDDEN DRUG USERS
problem for many years but that the problem is now worse as, while it used to be medical grade prescription drugs that had been rediverted into circulation on the streets, now it is counterfeit drugs that are being sold. So-called street Valium, the illegal version of prescription tranquillisers, is a growing problem across the UK and, in Glasgow, it has been linked to an “unprecedented” spike in the number of deaths of homeless people. In Swansea, Mr Harris said this is playing a factor in overdoses in the area. He added: “There has been a decrease in prescription drugs being sold on the streets. “However, counterfeit medication is now being found and is supplement to the shortfall in these diverted medications. “Risks are heightened then due to the contents may not be what the users may have initially thought it was. This can cause many issues, from an unwanted response from the user right through to overdose.” Mr Harris said benzodiazepines are sometimes used in conjunction with heroin – because of the class A’s forever fluctuating purity levels – but it can also be used in isolation, by people who may have a dependency on alcohol and people with undiagnosed mental health needs.
“We have seen an increase of people presenting with matters around anxiety who cannot be prescribed this sort of medication, so these people then become self-medicators,” he added.
Substance substitution is also a growing worry for Welsh drug testing service WEDINOS and, in their 2017/2018 report, they found that, of the 108 samples submitted in the belief they were diazepam, 45% were found to contain a different substance or no active compound.
However, speaking about “street Valium”, Detective Inspector Sion Parker of South Wales Police said, while examination of substances recovered by officers is revealing above the norm strengths and purities, hospitalisations are very rare.
In recent months, there have been several inquests in Swansea that have mentioned the drug. In October, an inquest heard Shane Jenkins, a young man struggling to deal with the aftermath of a childhood bicycle accident, died after taking a cocktail of painkillers. The 28-year-old was found dead on the living room floor of a friend’s house in Port Talbot on April 18, 2018, and a post-mortem examination found he had morphine in his system and traces of tramadol and siazepam.
In November, an inquest heard Jay Daniel Clement died “after taking Valium” and arguing with his girlfriend shortly after being released from prison. He was described as appearing to be under the influence of Valium, the inquest heard, but samples of his blood were destroyed following his death, so it was unable to ascertain what drugs, if any, had been in his system.
Then, in December, another inquest heard Wayne James Farrell, who was found collapsed on a Swansea street, died of a heart attack most likely brought on by drug abuse. An inquest into his death heard the dad-of-one “got involved with people who were a bad influence” in his teenage years and fell into Valium and heroin
abuse.