Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a phost nua.

Drug and alcohol addiction, substance abuse and their strong association with suicide comprise some of the biggest problems facing society. The sheer scale of the problem is massive, especially in the Dublin area. It is a very lucky family that has not been affected directly or indirectly by the societal fallout from the drugs crisis.

I have been a member of the Dodder Valley drugs task force since its inception. Daily I see at first hand how legal and illegal drugs are eating away at the fabric that holds communities together. Tallaght has the highest rate of reported burglaries in the State, and Rathfarnham has the fourth highest. Residents quite rightly ask why there are more break-ins in their area and they ask whether the figures are linked directly to the drugs epidemic, which is bubbling away under the surface.

I know of two people who were arrested recently by the Garda as they tried to rob a supermarket. The two addicts were robbing a supermarket every day to feed their out-of-control drug habits. I spoke recently to a number of families who lived beside a drug or crack house.

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