ASIAN women who are hooked on heroin are being "exploited" by black market methadone dealers in Glasgow.

Some are being charged three times the street value for the liquid opiate prescribed as a substitute for heroin.

Dealers can increase the price because many Asian women won't approach doctors about drugs for fear their family will find out, according to addiction workers.

Black market methadone is usually sold in quantities of 100ml for £10 but an Asian woman could be charged £30 for the same amount.

One Glasgow drugs worker, who asked not to be named, said: "Females from the Asian community who come in to the city centre from Govanhill or Pollokshields to buy illicit methadone will probably get charged three times as much.

"That's down to the fact that they're not known, they're coming from outside and there is more demand from them.

"They pay it because there's less chance of family members or members of their community finding out that they're engaging in that behaviour. However, there are probably bigger risks in terms of physical violence. There's also a bigger risk of someone robbing them or selling them something that isn't methadone.

"It isn't a small number of people. There is certainly a problem there that needs to be addressed. These people are being exploited.

"The people that are selling these drugs don't have any morals. It's strictly about survival - making money to get their own supply or buy a new supply."

Naseem Wali set up Minority Communities Addiction Services in 2012 and the service, based in Govanhill, now handles around 50 calls a month from addicts who are aged 16 to 70.

Ms Wali said: "I have come across that kind of self-medicating by Asian women. In their mind they're helping themselves but my fear is there's no monitoring, there's no support.

"Methadone is a controlled prescription that should be reduced. So, it's not just about the methadone and the amount of money they're spending. It's about the whole package.

"It is a danger, too, because they don't know what they're getting. There are also risks that they're not going to a safe environment. They're vulnerable.

"It shouldn't be like that. I tell them about the risks they're taking and tell them to go to their doctor. I offer to go with them.

"Somehow, they think it's easier to sweep it under the carpet, even with the huge risks. They think getting the help and support is more risky for them.

"We need to help these people because they aren't being reached. There are language barriers and all sorts of cultural issues that stop people accessing support and services."

Many existing services overlook ethnic minorities, according to the Glasgow drugs worker, who asked to remain anonymous.

They said: "We have a whole population of ethnic minorities who use illicit substances that traditional treatment services don't engage with. There is a big problem in the Asian community and in the Eastern European community but we see very little of them in treatment services.

"We're geared towards white, indigenous, working class. We need to change the way we approach ethnic minority communities. They're part of society so we need to get better at building links with those that represent these communities."

Councillor Soryia Siddique, who represents Govanhill, urged the NHS to do more to help minorities.

She said: "The NHS could have a greater role in engaging and enabling communities in accessing services.

"Early intervention and prevention is better than cure and it has to be recognised that there is bespoke services required.

"Addiction has been proven to have distressing impact on children and families of all backgrounds.

"It is important that policy is based on representative evidence which is achieved from optimised engagement with all communities."

n For more information about MCAS, telephone 07779444324.