Older addicts are more likely to die

It comes as research is published showing drug injectors over the age of 34 are up to six times more likely to die than younger addicts.

It is the first time such a detailed analysis of the death toll among Scotland's drug users has been carried out.

The Medical Research Council, which reports its findings in The Lancet, said the figures were partly explained by the likelihood that the over-34s had longer drug-taking careers.

But Professor Sheila Bird, the report's author, said older users were also more likely to be alone, because of the chaos of their lives.

The report calls for treatment to be targeted at older users to first of all to stop them injecting.

The Scottish Drugs Forum said the key was to provide more routes out of addiction, particularly by helping addicts become more employable.