TEENAGE girls have become the latest victims of heroin use in the city as new statistics reveal an escalation in the number of women seeking treatment for addiction to the hard drug.

Figures from the Western Drugs Task Force showaworrying shift in the age and sex profile of heroin users in Galway city and county, with a marked increase in the number of young women now using heroin and other hard substances.

While heroin has traditionally been amale drug, support workers have noticed a marked increase in the number ofwomen presenting with heroin addiction particularly in the past six months – a factor which they put down to an ever-increasing availability of the drug on the streets.

The fact that teenagers in particular are now seeking treatment for heroin addiction has prompted most concern according to the RegionalDrug Coordinator with HSE West, Fiona Walsh.

“It used to be that it would predominantly be people in their mid to late twenties that would come to us for problems with all drugs, but especially heroin, but nowwe have young people who might be only 18 coming to our clinics for help – if they’re coming to us at that age, it usually means...