Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

This matter arises from a meeting we had with community drug project managers last week. The meeting represented a cry for help and an appeal for help to the Minister of State and the Government in respect of the projects in Tallaght and Whitechurch and, I am sure, throughout the city and country. There is a new drugs crisis in our communities. Widespread crack cocaine use is devastating families. They are paying drug debts, unable to afford food or to heat their homes or pay for electricity, going to the local shops and having to give up all their money for debts in advance of getting to the shop to pay the bills or to buy food. It is horrendous. Abuse and addiction are deeply rooted societal issues connected to alienation, deprivation and so on, but one important part of the solution is the heroic work done by drug projects in our communities. They have suffered cuts and are scrambling around for funding, unable to do what they want to do. They need assistance.

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