Drugs in Georgia (subotex)

Tom Parfitt from Guardian writes interesting article, about illegal imports of a UK-made drug - Subotex, which have been credited, with a steep rise in the number of drug abusers in Georgia.

Manufactured in the UK, Subutex pills are available on doctor's prescription in more than 30 countries worldwide - including most of western Europe - as a supervised treatment for heroin withdrawal.

But instead of being used to curb withdrawal, thousands of pills are being snapped up by "doctor shoppers" in countries where it is legal who then sell them on to the black market.

The International Narcotics Control Board estimates there has been an 80% increase in the number of drug abusers in Georgia since 2003, a spurt it attributes to the growing availability of illegally imported Subutex.

Subutex is the most profitable drug in Georgia. You can buy seven tablets for $20 in France and then sell each one in Georgia for $120. For addicts, the drug is cheaper and more accessible than heroin. Dealers are numerous and each tablet can be shared into five or six doses......

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