BBC slammed over methadone report coverage

The BBC has been dragged into a row over the treatment of drug addicts, after charity DrugScope criticised its coverage of a critical report on the use of methadone as a heroin substitute.

DrugScope has written to the BBC complaining about its coverage of the Breaking the Habit report produced by rightwing thinktank the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS).

The CPS claimed that prescribing methadone was "entrenching addiction", as well as an expensive failure, with fewer than 4% of addicts said to be emerging from treatment free from dependency.

However, DrugScope said that it had written to the BBC to complain about "repeated factually incorrect information" throughout its reporting of the CPS study on June 19.

The charity said that it was "concerned" by the "lack of fact-checking" by the corporation on the figures supplied in the CPS press release.

DrugScope chief executive Martin Barnes said that the CPS report "grossly exaggerates the cost of one type of drug treatment and seriously misrepresents what the treatment system has achieved".

Barnes criticised the report's claim that "methadone prescribing costs £730m a year", saying that the figure was actually for "the entirety of the drug treatment system".

"The language used by the report author to describe methadone prescribing in media interviews on June 19 is, moreover, detrimental to the recovery agenda," said Barnes, who appeared on the BBC News Channel to dispute the report's findings.

"Referring to people as being 'zombied out' on methadone and to describe methadone prescribing as 'entrenching addiction' is not the language of recovery."

He added: "It is a shame that, in trying to bring attention to the issue of access to residential rehabilitation, the CPS has so seriously misrepresented facts about drug treatment.

"The report and its coverage risk undermining public support for drug treatment and for much needed investment in services which are key to improving outcomes and supporting recovery."

A BBC spokesman confirmed that the corporation had received the complaint.

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