IRELAND
Listening in on one country's review of their national plan to fight the drugs trade.
A rethink on drugs strategy
A snapshot of Ireland’s illegal drug culture can be garnered by summarising some of the research carried out in this country in recent years. It shows that almost one in four Irish people has used an illegal drug in their lifetime and that drug use is predominantly a youth phenomenon. Men are three times more likely to have used drugs than women, but females report higher use of sedatives, tranquillisers and antidepressants.
One in 14 people in Ireland has used illegal drugs in the last year and around one in 30 used illegal drugs last month. Cocaine is now more popular than ever before and is the second most used drug among 15 to 34-year-olds, surpassed only by cannabis. It has passed out ecstasy and other amphetamines in recent years.
This broad outline of the problem in Ireland is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the research that has been carried out since the formation of the country’s current national drugs strategy. This research - particularly a study on the prevalence of drug use published in January by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) - will be crucial in developing a new strategy.
The current strategy covering the period from 2001 is being reviewed. A new plan is being drawn up to cover the period from 2009-2016, and key state, voluntary and community representatives are involved in developing proposals. A total of 38 submissions had been received by the department by the closing date of April 4.
‘‘This might seem a small number,” said Pat Carey, the minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy. ‘‘But in tandem with that, we will be meeting various voluntary and community groups, government departments and different agencies, as well as carrying out public consultation sessions throughout the country. By the middle of June, we will have 40 further meetings that will influence the shape of the strategy.”
The minister of state at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has already spoken with groups of teenagers from Limerick, Clare and his own constituency of Dublin North West. He is also meeting former drug addicts, those using and providing the state services, and medical experts. ‘‘I am hoping that, over the summer and autumn, the steering committee will be meeting the consultants and will work in a strategy that will go to government with policy to be rolling out next year to cover to 2016,” he told The Sunday Business Post.
Carey said a number of significant issues had already been raised during his initial consultations. One is the prospect of incorporating alcohol into the strategy, which he said was being raised by many medical and social experts whom he had already consulted. ‘‘Alcohol is the drug of choice in this country. A lot of people really think we should have a single strategy for both. It is difficult, but other jurisdictions have done it,” he said.
Making it a single strategy could result in actions such as roadside testing for drugs, which has long been argued for. “It could result in developing testing mechanisms such as those for alcohol roadside testing. I know it would be difficult to get that through the courts, but other jurisdictions have it and it has been shown to reduce drug-taking,” he said.
It would also allow for integrated education and awareness programmes, such as warning people of the dangers of mixing cocaine and alcohol. Carey said alcohol was the ‘‘drug of choice’’ for most Irish people, but many were ‘‘incapable of just taking it on its own - they have to mix it with something else, like cocaine.
‘‘There are also people who are very happy to use one drug to prolong the effects of another one. An addict told me recently that he was drinking alcohol and taking cocaine and got high and drunk five times in one night. Some people are really pushing out the boundaries. No one has to become an absolute teetotaller, but we need to get the message across to drink in moderation, don’t drink and drive and don’t mix drink and drugs.”
Other issues being looked at are the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, new ways to address rehabilitation and providing more support services for families. ‘‘There is a lot of work being done on family support since the mid-term review of the strategy, but it wasn’t seen as a key element until then. One of the issues would be the ‘granny syndrome’ where children of drug users are almost in the entire care of their grandparents. We are looking at issues such as the possibility of giving quasi-fostering payment to them.”
Carey said some people might argue that bringing alcohol under the umbrella and increasing the issues the strategy addressed could lessen its impact. ‘‘Some people might think that, if we take too broad a sweep on issues, the response might be diluted. It is something that needs to be thought through very carefully. We have to ensure that it is going to be fully resourced as well.”
Whatever the structure of the new strategy, addressing the growing problem of cocaine use in Ireland will be one of its major planks.
The NACD report showed that, while cannabis was the most commonly used illegal drug, cocaine use had grown, especially among those aged between 15 and 34.This backed up a joint NACD/National Drugs Strategy Team report on cocaine published last year. ‘‘Cocaine hasn’t gone away. It’s a very dangerous drug. People don’t realise the danger it is doing to them. We need to make people aware of the damage [caused by] all drugs.”
Cocaine, he said, was also causing huge indebtedness, costing people their cars, homes and, in some cases, their lives. ‘‘People taking cocaine in more affluent areas are in debt to the banks or financial institution. But those living in disadvantaged areas are in debt to the drug dealers and, if they don’t pay up, there will be a guy going around to them with a Glock pistol,” said Carey.
The overall findings of the NACD report showed the number of people who reported using an illegal drug in their lifetime had increased from 18.5 per cent to 24 per cent in the four years since the first such drugs prevalence survey was carried out. However, the numbers who said they had used it in the past month or year had not increased. Mairead Lyons, NACD director, said that much new research had been carried out on drug use in Ireland since the last strategy was drawn up.
‘‘It is now a question of how we should apply what we know to our benefit. Because of the extensive research now available, a comprehensive approach can be planned,” said Lyons.
Martha Kearns
13 April 2008
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