Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

The thrust of what I will say will relate to the protection of innocent communities which are the victims of the scourge of drugs. Deputy O'Shea spoke at length about crack cocaine. When I was doing some research on this subject on the Internet today, I found information about 23 different illegal drugs.

Crystal meth, which is the most recent drug to hit the streets, is more addictive than crack cocaine. It is now considered to be the most significant cause of drug problems in north America. There are no statistics on the abuse of crystal meth in Ireland, but there is no doubt that it will find its way into our communities and will increase in popularity, just like all the other drugs we have encountered and had to deal with. Crystal meth is a synthetic drug that is reputedly quite simple to make in one's kitchen. There are reports that many people have died as a result of taking very small quantities of the drug. It is the latest in a long list of illegal drugs to have hit our streets, but it will not be the last. I do not doubt that our enterprising chemists, for want of a better word, will find new drugs and new ways of producing more illegal products which will have devastating effects on our communities.

Figures for last year show that the Irish illegal drug trade is now worth €13 billion a year. The extent of the devastation of individuals, families and communities by drug abuse cannot be measured in monetary terms. The drugs trade involves the particularly vile and horrible exploitation of vulnerable people. This country's so-called drugs barons, who live the good life here or abroad, use the most base methods to attract — and terrorise if necessary — their stooges who help them to make their fortunes. I am told that the pattern of entrapment involves one of the operators giving relatively innocent victims their first drug samples free of charge and inviting them to come back for more.

The vultures usually hang around near schools or discos, where they have something of a captive audience, so they can ensnare their victims slowly but surely. The plot then involves blackmailing the victims so they become carriers, delivering small quantities and gradually being forced to get involved in bigger-time business. I have been told that it is not unusual for drugs to be deliberately planted on such people. The Garda is then told they are dealing drugs, even though they are somewhat innocent in all this nasty business. We know only too well about the outcomes for the unfortunate people who get caught up and ensnared with the big dealers and are in hock to them.

That the number of drug seizures is increasing is an indication of the increase in the availability of drugs. I attended a function last night at which a number of young people, who are not involved in drugs in any way, were in attendance. When I spoke to them about drugs, I learned they were well informed of where and how one can acquire the drug of one's choice. If it is so easy for such young people to tell me where and how drugs can be bought, why are there not many more hauls of illegal drugs? I accept that, compared to ten years ago, there is much more information, open discussion and education on drugs and their effects on communities. It should be accepted that the scale of the drugs problem is escalating, however.

I hear stories in my constituency every day about the ravages of the impact of drug abuse on individuals and communities. My sympathies are with the decent people who have to live beside drug dealers. They are afraid to leave their homes because of stress and intimidation and the fear of being mugged. They are afraid their children will get caught up in this vile trade. They are afraid their homes will be broken into and ransacked. They have every reason to have such fears because the things I have mentioned have happened already to many of them. They are also concerned for the reputations of their communities when word spreads rapidly that certain places are drug shops.

The dreaded drug barons, who are at the root of the disease that has blighted our streets, must be stripped of their assets. They must be removed from communities and put behind bars. I heard the discussion about sentencing earlier. Their ill-gotten gains should be redistributed to the communities which have suffered as a result of their violence. Many communities are crying out for facilities and supports.

In many areas, there is a shortage of sporting activities and youth facilities. Last week, in another part of my constituency, I listened to the concerns of local people regarding the lack of Garda responses. While they did not blame individual gardaí, they simply made the point that there are not enough of them.

The unfortunate addicts are simply pawns in a bigger game. Few facilities are dedicated to them, areas of social disadvantage are most at risk and there is an urgent requirement to improve facilities for rehabilitation. Moreover, there is a cost to local communities, which must often bear the brunt of the anti-social behaviour which frequently accompanies the treatment of addicts. I refer to those areas in which it is reported that syringes and needles are dropped around the place. Greater facilities and many more dedicated resources are required.

See this speech in context