Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to support this motion. This is one of the most important issues facing the country. Unfortunately, Ireland has had enough experience of the drug problem in the past three decades to know what must be done. The courage of inner city communities who reacted against local pushers acted as a spur for the implementation of the national drugs strategy. It has its roots in such actions.

While there was hope that the problem could be contained, the strategy requires the wholehearted endorsement of the Government and I do not see evidence of such an endorsement. The lack of a dedicated portfolio indicates the Government believes the problem is being tackled and is on the decline.

As Members are aware, cocaine is a fashionable drug. Those with high disposable incomes use this drug. Frequently, while such people can afford to socialise or buy a car, they cannot buy a house. People begin to use it on an occasional basis, then increase their usage to twice or thrice per week and subsequently, a dependence develops. Users often refer to the activity as a white night. Those in a group of friends who do not use the drug feel unwelcome.

It is readily available in my constituency and I do not believe the situation is different anywhere else. The Garda is well aware of the problem. However, I am not convinced the resources are in place to deal with or break up the networks. I am alarmed by the escalation of the problem in recent years. While I was going to say the problem is under my nose, in the context, that would probably be inappropriate. Small-time pushers operate in every town and village and are the necessary component of the drug network. Such networks must be broken up before a reduction in use will occur. However, that would require dedicated and ongoing police work.

Cocaine users who use the drug on an everyday basis can only sustain that lifestyle for a short time. As there is no substitute for cocaine, like methadone for heroin, one can predict the problems which will arise in the future, given that waiting lists to deal with the effects of addiction already exist. This escalation will put pressure on a system that is already overburdened. Members must be provided with evidence that the strategy is being resourced and that it takes account of both existing use and the escalation of use. I underline the importance of the escalation of drug use.

While people in Ireland are good at adopting strategies on paper, we fail when such policies require implementation. For those with an addiction problem, a readily available range of services must be put in place. This must be viewed as an investment in the solution to the problem. The existence of waiting lists for treatment is ridiculous. Essentially, if one informs people with addiction problems that they are obliged to wait or to go on a waiting list, one is telling them to carry on with their existing problems. Much of the policing response is not the kind that will make newspaper headlines. It is important that the CAB continues its work — it more than justifies its existence. However, community police and juvenile liaison officers form part of the programme. I fully support the motion.

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