Drug experts are to reach out to the oil and gas industry to tackle abuse of cocaine and other substances by high-earning workers.
Support group Drugs Action said it was a key priority to work with private companies amid claims that disproportionately high cocaine consumption in the north-east was linked directly to its affluent workforce.
Luan Grugeon, chief executive of Drugs Action, said figures had shown that a third of all cocaine in Scotland was consumed in the Grampian area.
Drug use in other parts of the country is inextricably linked to deprivation, but Ms Grugeon said it was a key feature of the north-east that wealth was driving some of the demand.
She added that well-financed drug-takers were less likely to seek help for substance misuse because they could afford to manage their lifestyles – and efforts were being made to reach out to these hidden users.
The industry has said it is not aware of any specific issues but that companies have their own policies to monitor the health of employees, including drug and alcohol testing.
However, the support group has dealt with clients who have links to the industry, with heavy consumption a way of life for some offshore workers when they come back to shore. Ms Grugeon said: “Grampian as a whole accounts for one third of Scotland’s cocaine use. Our theory is that it is associated with the affluence of the community.”
Drugs Access attended the Offshore Europe exhibition in Aberdeen for the first time this year. Alcohol misuse is also a key facet of the group’s work.
Ms Grugeon said: “At Offshore Europe, we made a number of contacts within oil companies and the oil service industry who were quite interested in exploring with us how we could do some awareness-raising.”
One-to-one counselling and support for those with alcohol issues may be offered to those who need it, she added.
A spokesman for Oil and Gas UK, which represents the interests of the industry, said: “We are not aware of any issues in the industry and each company will have its own policy on drug and alcohol misuse while at work.”
Jake Molloy, regional organiser of the RMT’s offshore energy branch, said he was not aware of any specific problems. On alcohol misuse, he added: “Years ago, it used to be an incredibly heavy-drinking industry. Some guys would spend their entire two weeks home in the pub. But because of the rigorous medical standards that have to be achieved, things have very definitely changed.”