Heroin gangs in England?

Factual Questions
21

I was fond of Ian Fleming’s James Bond books as a small boy (yeah, I know), and I dimly recall Bond executing a heroin smuggler at the start of the book, and giving a stern lecture to an otherwise decent guy (named Blackwell in the book, after one of Fleming’s golf partners) who had been caught up in the business in order to maintain his addict sister’s heroin supply after her legal diamorphine prescriptions were cut off following a change in the law. I got the impression that Fleming thought the law change was a dumb move that would lead to both an increase in organised crime and an increase in heroin addiction, which was indeed what happened as heroin addiction was very much a niche activity up until this point. Couldn’t remember what book it was in, so have just now looked it up: it was Goldfinger (1959).

I have in front of me a log book titled Register of Dangerous Drugs Purchased and Supplied according to the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1951, and Regulations Thereunder, printed by H.T. Woodrow & Co. Ltd., Liverpool. It was an unlikely find in a skip at an old workplace - not a clue how it would have got there as the site was fairly modern, and an engineering concern. Anyhoo, it lists Morphine, Diamorphine, Cocaine, Ecgonine, etc., Medicinal Opium, Extracts or Tinctures of Indian Hemp, Dihydrohydroxycodeinone (Eucodal), Dihydrocodeinone, (Dicodid), Dyhydromorphinone (Dilaudid), Pethidine, Methadone (Amidone), Phenadoxone and Methorphinan.
I’ll post some pics if anyone’s interested, and if it turns out I’ve got SMDB pic posting rights now (I didn’t the last I checked).

More recently, serial killer UK doctor Harold Shipman used diamorphine (medical heroin) to kill many of the patients in his care (estimates range from a conservative 218 victims, to over 459). I have known of people with terminal cancer in the last, horrendous stages who have been euthanised with diamorphine by their doctors (with the consent of the patients and their families); strictly illegal but no-one will prosecute a doctor for shortening the life of a consenting patient in intense pain by a few hours. So, still available for UK doctors to prescribe, but I believe with even tighter controls, post-Shipman.

What I haven’t really heard of is diamorphine being prescribed for heroin addiction, at least not since the 1950s. Possibly there are some small-scale pilot projects out there prescribing diamorphine for addiction, but usually it’s methadone, which seems much nastier in IMHO.

22

Heroin was a major opiate drug used by many many people in the 70s and 80s . If some one was considered a “drug addict’ it was likly heroin and absolutely not acquired from a local pharmacy. Regardless of the legal status of heroin etc, the dealer is not a licensed pharmacist
In the 80s we had kids TV shows about kids at school “ grange hill” that had long running arcs that talked about Heroin , and “Trainspotting “ with obi wan Mcgregor was about a bunch of heroin addicts and a big score and redemption and a couple of people dying of addiction on the way. Yes it wasn’t a documentary but not untrue. No one was visiting the local Boots ( cvs Walgreens etc) to get a hit
Ireland in the 80s yeah massive heroin issue like in Great Britain and like any very popular, addictive and illegal drug it was controlled by gangs and people who liked the money and were happy to get violent. The IRA and on the other side ( well other psychos killing people for influence and money) UVF and UDA etc were all financing themselves selling heroin.
Also the Ice Cream Truck Wars in Glasgow were not based on fundamental differences as to if the White Almond or dark satin chocolate were the purest as ordained by god form of the Dove Icecream
Heroin was and is a drug sold on the streets , yes gangs are involved and yes people died as one would expect in any gang related transactions.

23

There was a period when UK some doctors could prescribe heroin for addicts. It was treat as a health are issue. But that was when the number of addicts was very few. There were some scandals and Dr Death stories in the tabloid press.

That policy changed as a result if the heroin epidemic that hit many countries in the 70s and 80s and the subsequent reaction from Conservative politicians. Encouraged by the international ‘war on drugs’ policies that began in the US under Nixon.

Drug policy in the UK was a health issue and then became a law and order issue. There are some signs that it may veer towards becoming a health issue again. But the UK will be a follower rather than a leader.