Survey of drug users in Peshawar

The United Nations International Drug Control programme has carried out a survey of heroin addicts in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

The team interviewed one-hundred-and-fifty addicts living in the city -- it found that nearly half of them were forced to live on the streets because they'd been rejected by their families.

According to the survey, more than half of those interviewed wanted to give up but had no support to do so.

The survey said a significant number died each year from the extremes in temparature in winter and summer.

It's believed that about four million Pakistanis are drug users -- with much of the heroin coming from neighbouring Afghanistan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service