When pretty hairdresser Sam Nolan died after taking a fatal hit of heroin, she became the latest victim of a drug that plagues our communities.

Following the inquest into her death, her brother Ricky Wright said he felt there is not enough support for young addicts. Could more have been done to help Sam and others like her? Simon Barrett reports.

From the age of 13, Sam Nolan's life was blighted by drugs.

She first smoked cannabis and sniffed glue as a schoolgirl and went on to battle serious drug addiction for about five years before she died.

Her family desperately tried to get her off drugs, with her mother spending a staggering £40,000 on rehabilitation, at one stage even moving her to a clinic in Cyprus.

But in January this year, Sam, 22, from Hove, injected heroin for the final time after telling a friend in a phone call she was determined to get clean and seek help.

After last week's inquest, Sam's brother Ricky Wright warned drug users to use his sister's story as inspiration to kick their habit.

He said: "For me personally, I would implore anyone using heroin to see what it did to Sam.

"It's cut short her life and she was a beautiful girl who had a massive future in front of her. I don't think there is enough help for young addicts."

Sadly, Sam's tragic story is not an uncommon one, especially in Brighton and Hove, which is known as a hotspot for drugrelated deaths.

Despite that, last year saw significant reductions in funding for young people's drug services, while overall funding for adult services was frozen for the next three years.

Justin Grantham, harm reduction service manager at CRI, a Brighton-based service which supports drug users, said: "There is a lot of help available to anyone involved with drugs in the city. We provide outreach services to try and get people into treatment.

"Sam was known to us for a long time and, although her death was extremely unfortunate, it is difficult to see what more could have been done for her.

"She had access to everything from rehabilitation to methadone.

"There have been some concerns recently with the purity of the heroin supply into the city and whether this has resulted in more deaths."

The Argus reported last month how killer heroin almost twice the purity of normal batches was being sold on the streets of Brighton and Hove.

Super-strength doses of the illegal drug had been linked to the deaths of 11 addicts in just 11 weeks since the beginning of the year.

Senior police officers warned users to take extra care when using drugs to try to prevent them joining the death toll.

Police hoped to stem the dramatic rise in deaths to prevent a return to the drug crisis of 2005, when Brighton and Hove was declared the drug death capital of Britain, with 51 users losing their lives during the year.

A shocking report later suggested one in 50 people in the city habitually used heroin or crack cocaine.

Martin Barnes, chief executive of drugs charity DrugScope, said: "Behind every drug-related death lies an individual tragedy.

"Drug sector professionals work extremely hard to help those with a drug dependency problem but problem users often experience relapse after treatment and for some it can take several years before they are ultimately drug free.

"Despite an expansion in drug treatment services, not all young people are able to access good quality advice, treatment and support if they get into difficulties with drugs or alcohol.

"There is a need for better support for the families and carers of people experiencing drug problems, many of whom experience stigma and isolation.

"DrugScope will continue to lobby hard to improve the resources available to help vulnerable young people and adults at risk of dependency."

The ru-ok? service, based in West Street, Brighton, is a specialist substance misuse and alcohol service for young people under 19.

Service manager Anna Gianfrancesco said: "We offer support through outreach, working with young people in their community, schools and homes as well as seeing young people in the offices.

"The service offers one-to-one support to young people and support to their families, including harm reduction and minimisation, relapse prevention, support with abstinence and detoxification programmes."

For help and advice on drugs issues, call ru-ok? on 01273 293966 or CRI on 01273 607575.

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