Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Every town and city in the country has been plagued by drugs, but the drug crisis in my town of Clonmel, which is a fine town, has almost gone out of control over the past 18 months. This is sad. We have no mental health supports. We do not have one long-stay bed. Crack cocaine and heroin are openly available on the main street and its curtilages and unfortunate souls are seen begging, falling over, out of their minds, being physically or verbally abused and fighting among themselves. They are destroying themselves, but this is also intimidating shoppers and, therefore, has a significant knock-on effect on business in the town.

For those who manage to make their way into rehab, there is a considerable risk of falling back into drug use, given the level of availability. Drugs are in night clubs and everywhere else. It is alarming. We do not have anywhere near enough support workers. At last week's meeting of the joint policing committee, JPC, the chief superintendent said that he wanted to see more drug support workers working in liaison in the Garda. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach and support from various sectors of society.

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