10-year programme to tackle drug misuse
The government has proposed a ¿217m, 10-year programme for reducing drug misuse.

Drug treatment orders offer alternative to prison
Drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs) were first announced in December 1997, when the government said it would spend ¿1m on a pilot programme to get convicted drugs offenders have treatment.

An addict's tale
People are taking drugs at a younger and younger age and many are mixing different types. BBC News Online looks at one addict's experience.

Drug users fuel hepatitis boom
Drug users who inject are the main reason for a surge in the number of cases of hepatitis B, public health officials have said.

Drugs 'part of mainstream youth culture'
Most young clubbers have taken drugs, according to a survey carried out by a university and drugs agency team.

Methadone prescribing tightened up
The government is to tighten the way methadone is prescribed to drug misusers.

US heroin overdoses soar
The number of US heroin users being treated in casualty units is rising fast, but deaths could be prevented, says a specialist.

A strategy for tackling drugs
The UK Government has published a White Paper that contains its strategy for tackling the abuse of illegal drugs. It plans to use profits seized from drugs barons to stop people becoming addicts.

Treating drug misuse saves millions
A study has shown that the cost of therapy for addicts is more than recouped by the reduction in drug-related crime.

The drugs czar
With more illegal drug use in Britain than anywhere else in Europe, the country's new drugs czar Keith Hellawell knows he has a major task on his hands.

Drugs
The arrival of recreational drugs has created an explosion in use. BBC News Online looks at the major illegal drugs.