High Anxiety: The Deadly Trade in Street Valium

They’re cheap – but they’re also deadly. Illegal pills costing as little as 50p each are contributing to the deaths of hundreds of people each year in Scotland. Now an expert is warning benzodiazepines, or street Valium, could pose a growing threat elsewhere.

Jane Deith talks to those whose lives have been destroyed by benzodiazepines, a category of drugs usually used to treat anxiety that can be prescribed, but which have become a major feature of the illegal drugs market in Scotland and now elsewhere in the UK.

The so called “street benzos” are a class C drug manufactured in huge quantities in illegal factories and sold for as little as 50p each, less than a bar of chocolate. But in combination with other drugs benzodiazepines can be fatal, significantly increasing the risk of an overdose. In recent years the number of people dying has risen sharply. Last year in Scotland more than 800 people died with illegal street benzos in their system. In England and Wales the death toll was over 500, with 171 of those who died having used benzodiazepine analogues, fake versions that can vary widely – and dangerously - in strength.

From the Clyde to Cornwall, File on 4 hears the stories of those dealing with the fallout from the trade in the drugs, including people who have been addicted to them; a mother in North East England who lost her daughter to a fatal overdose; a teenager who bought them on social media, and an expert who believes their influence is spreading, with potentially dangerous consequences.

Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Fergus Hewison Research: George Crafer Journalism Assistant: Tim Fernley Production Manager: Sarah Payton Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Editor: Carl Johnston