TV slot for drug battle

LOCAL campaigner Barry Haslam is due to be featured on tomorrow’s BBC TV North-West Tonight, with his support group, Tranx.

Mr Haslam, and fellow members of the group which supports people trying to withdraw from prescribed drugs, were interviewed for the show and told to expect it to be screened tomorrow.

Mr Haslam said: “It should feature Tranx members and myself explaining how prescribed addiction has affected their lives, how Tranx has supported them and helped them and what the solutions are to iatrogenic addiction.

“It also looks at the close working relationship of Tranx with Oldham ADS (Addiction Dependency Solutions), making it a unique set up.

“It is the only partnership of an NHS-funded benzo withdrawal treatment service provider and a voluntary support group, working together to tackle Oldham’s problem of 5,200 long-term benzodiazepine involuntary addicts.”

Mr Haslam said he was delighted with the chance to highlight on television the “near complete lack of frontline services for GP-prescribed drug addiction,” which he says outnumbers illegal addiction by five to one.