Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I accept that when the drugs problem emerged, the drugs strategy was developed and the task forces were set up, the focus was on heroin in disadvantaged areas of Dublin. Cocaine has always been used but the drug was inclined to be used by the more professional classes. However, as the Deputy said, the price of cocaine has reduced significantly and the use of the drug is the major problem now. It is used by all age groups from teenagers upwards. However, the strategy is flexible enough to adapt and address new problems.

Despite everything that is said about heroin, methadone is a substitute treatment and one of the major problems in addressing cocaine use is the lack of an equivalent substitute treatment. The best we can offer addicts who come forward, which is a problem in itself, is counselling and behavioural therapy. Heroin has a bad image, even among users, whereas cocaine is perceived as a clean, harmless drug because it is used by film stars and others, even though it is nothing of the sort. We face a major battle against that perception. Awareness campaigns are run but it is difficult to get through to people the damage they are doing to themselves because it is not obvious in the short term.

A number of cocaine initiatives were approved this time last year. Approximately 600 staff on various drugs projects are funded and many of them have received upskilling and retraining this year to enable them to help people with a cocaine addiction.

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