It is a statistic that reveals the full scale of the drugs menace on our doorstep. On average, one person a day seeks treatment at York District Hospital suffering ill effects from so-called "designer" drugs.

We used to think that drug abuse happened elsewhere. It was a problem of the inner cities, not something to worry us in leafy North Yorkshire.

In recent years, however, this misplaced confidence has ebbed away.

Evidence of the proliferation of illegal drugs in the county became impossible to ignore. The dealers were on our streets.

But this realisation still does not prepare us for the size of the problem, as revealed by the hospital. Medical director of York NHS Trust Dr Ray Marks speaks for us all when he describes the trend as "very worrying and very disturbing".

The hospital has not revealed the ages of these patients. But many are likely to be very young. The Evening Press is aware of the case of an 18-year-old woman from York who nearly died after taking a designer drug.

Admissions peak on Friday nights, emphasising the link between consumption of Ecstasy with the party culture. And this is one of the greatest problems facing anti-drug agencies: designer drugs are now considered by many to be a normal part of a night out.

Three years ago, the Evening Press ran an awareness-raising campaign to alert secondary school children to the dangers of taking Ecstasy. Clearly, however, too many users are prepared to take the risk. They can never be sure what it is they are taking.

Every time they pop one of those pills, they are putting their life on the line.

Some may still believe that the drug is a harmless stimulant. But the hospital figures prove otherwise. With so many people becoming ill through taking these drugs, we need to redouble our efforts to highlight the dangers.

York pubs and clubs can do little more than heighten their vigilance. Already door staff are trained in drugs awareness, closed circuit television cameras scan clubs for dealers, and sniffer dogs search for drugs in clubs.

Intelligence-led policing has led to the arrest of many dealers, but there are clearly plenty still on the streets.

Yet drugs are not simply the police's problem: they are society's problem. Parents and schools have a vital role to play in dissuading youngsters from taking drugs. We must all work to reduce the numbers of youngsters whose night out ends at York District Hospital.

see NEWS 'Bitter Pill'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.