A study on the extent and effects of heroin use in a small inner city community in the period 1979-1985 was conducted. A total of eighty-two persons were interviewed and all gave a history of heroin use. The extent of heroin use in the area was greatest in the 1979-1983 period and during this time it was concentrated in 15-19 year old males. Since 1983 there has been a clear decline in the total numbers of persons in the area who have ever used heroin, who are currently using heroin and in the numbers of those who are using heroin for the first time, a trend which coincides with the inception of a Concerned Parents Group. The profile of the heroin user is similar to the one described in previous Medico-Social Research Board studies
