Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Health Research Board regularly produces information on that. We know it is not good to take drugs. The national drugs strategy addresses harm reduction and helping those in addiction. We all know the devastating effects of addiction, not only on those who are in addiction but on their families and the communities across the country that are devastated. That is why the work of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use is so important. I hope this is only the start of the conversation around drug use in Ireland. Drugs are in every town and village, as the Deputy and most people in the country know. We need to have an honest conversation about how we help people in addiction. I secured an extra €6 million in the budget for that purpose.

We are also looking at recovery. For some people, recovery might not mean getting off drugs completely. It might mean reducing the amount of drugs they use. We have very good expertise on that issue in this country.

I can come back to the Senator with figures on the specific harms caused by cocaine, cannabis, etc. This is definitely an issue that we need to address and education will be a big part of that. I secured €1.5 million for education programmes around drug use. That funding will only be given to groups where there is evidence that they are able to reach key cohorts within society to get the message out there. The HSE is doing a lot of work on this, for example, at the Electric Picnic festival. University College Cork has a very good programme, a night-time awareness campaign that engages with students on their drug use. It is about reducing harm and giving them information. A multifaceted approach is being taken, including on the criminal side where there can be absolutely no tolerance of people supplying drugs, gangland crime, etc. We have seen significant efforts by An Garda Síochána in cracking down on drug crime but we must also ensure we have a health-led approach. I am currently working on a health diversion programme. I will revert to the Senator on his specific question.