A study carried out by universities have found that opiate substitution treatment (methadone) reduced the frequency of drug use.  The study is due for publishing online on the 17th July.

Scottish medical experts have reported a link between methadone taken during pregnancy and babies who develop eye defects such as blurred vision, nystagmus, squinting and short sightedness.  A study carried out by doctors at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the first leading study of its kind, was to look into the long-term outcomes for these children.

As a substitute for heroin for addict recovery, the methadone programme appears to have failed one Scotsman who recently had his state-funded medication cut off 20 years later as a result of failing a drugs test. The supply of methadone to heroin addicts in Scotland cost taxpayers approx. £50 million per year. As the leading expert on substance abuse in Scotland, Professor Neil McKeganey has called for a review of the programme and criticises the Government for failing to reduce the cost.