Drug addicts to be given i-Pods if they beat their habits

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) wants to offer heroin and crack addicts 'incentives' to quit their habit.

The users - many of whom commit crime to feed their habit - will be offered vouchers if they test clean for the illegal substances. The size of the taxpayer-funded gift will - on offer to as many as 50,000 addicts - increase with each successful test...starting at £1.50 and rising to £10 a week.

Under draft plans, they could also be offered tickets for a prize draw each time they return a 'clean' test at their local clinic.

Increasing numbers of tickets would be awarded, raising the chance of winning the prizes. There could be a one-in-two chance of winning a small prize but a one-in-200 chance of winning a main prize - worth up to £100.

Nice has not specified what types of prizes would be on offer - but clinics could decide they should include MP3 players, such as an i-Pod, or other electrical items.

The quango, which is in charge of rationing the treatment available on the NHS, believes that offering incentives to drug addicts will provide the taxpayer with value-for-money. By getting a user clean, society saves large sums of money in treatment costs and crime.

But campaigners last night questioned the wisdom of lavishing funds on heroin users - whose condition is self-inflicted - while denying drugs to Alzheimer's sufferers, and those with other conditions

Alzheimer's sufferers are currently awaiting the verdict of a High Court challenge to Nice's decision to halt the prescription of £2.50-a-day tablets which alleviate the devastating symptoms of the disease.

Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said: "Why should these people with self-inflicted problems be given priority over people who have a genuine illness? Some people with genuine disease are being forced to sell their homes for the medicines they need."

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'When women are going without life-saving drugs for breast cancer thanks NICE, the decision to give drug users lavish freebies clearly can't be justified.

'This programme will waste vital resources which could be better used for people with genuine illnesses rather than self-inflicted problems. It is a complete waste of money.'

Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: 'Many of these drug addicts will have stolen to pay for their drug habit. It sends out completely the wrong message to then offer them a reward. People on the verge of taking drugs need to be discouraged - this does the complete opposite.'

The 'incentives' will be on offer until doctors are satisfied the addict's condition is 'stabilised'. People who returned to their habit would have to start again, at the bottom of the scale for the vouchers. Typically, they will undergo three tests each week, so the value could increase rapidly.

Nice has said international trials have shown modest financial incentives could help hardened addicts stay off drugs.

Research by the University of Connecticut found cocaine and methamphetamine users stayed drug free for longer when they had the chance to win prizes such as telephones, stereos, DVD players and televisions. Every time addicts gave a negative drugs test they were given tickets for the draw. They "earned" an increasing number of tickets for every week that they remained drug free.

A Nice spokesman declined to comment on the final version of the guidelines, ahead of their expected publication later this week.