Introduction on Merseyside

The widespread introduction of citric in Merseyside services was monitored by the local Public Health service, to ascertain what effect (if any), it had. They concluded that the provision of citric did not appear to attract more heroin injectors to services - perhaps because most of them were already attending needle exchanges. However, it did appear to have a significant positive effect on the number of visits to services. Attendees were taking the same number of syringes at each visit as they had been doing previously, meaning that more sterile syringes were in circulation amongst local heroin injectors.

This study was presented by Dr Caryl Benyon at the 2005 National Conference on Injecting Drug Use. The abstract and Powerpoint presentations can be found here:

(www.oldsite.exchangesupplies.org/conferences/2005_
NCIDU/speakers/caryl_beynon.html)