Whae's Like Us ? - Part 271

Not so very long ago in Scotland, the main danger to small children from drugs came from your addled mum chucking you out of a 14-th floor window, or OD-ing and leaving you to starve by a dead body.

Happy, innocent days !

Lately we've had the primary school heroin smoker and the five-year old with speed.

Now we've added methadone to the mix. In December last year a two-year old died of a methadone overdose. His "parents" face murder charges.

And in Inverness this week a seven year old collapsed in the playground from an overdose. It didn't come from home, either.

No small children involved - but look at this story for a touching tale of solidarity and mutual aid in a working class family.

"At an earlier hearing, advocate depute John Hamilton, prosecuting, said the two women had been listed as Crown witnesses for a murder trial. They were not needed to give evidence, but were each paid £50 expenses.

Mr Hamilton said that as a result of coming into money they arranged to buy heroin then went to the Prestonpans area of the city for syringes. They went to a flat in Prestonpans, East Lothian, to take the drugs.

"The mother, Jacqueline Greenhill, was squeamish and unable to inject herself and, as was common practice, asked her daughter to inject and the accused did so," said Mr Hamilton. He said that it became clear three hours later that Mrs Greenhill was "in a parlous state". "One of the party went to a neighbour's to try to raise an alarm and get help," he said.

Ambulance technicians and medics at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary were unable to save Mrs Greenhill. "