Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the citizens' assembly and think the conversation will really start when it reports. In the meantime, I have allocated €850,000 for cocaine-related treatment. I also allocated €500,000 in June 2023 and €1.5 million for an education programme around drug use, for the first time. I have met drug and alcohol task forces and gone into detox units and services up and down the country. Funding is the issue. There are some fantastic programmes that need to be rolled out. However, we also need to make sure that whatever programmes are in place follow the right model and address the issues on the ground.

That is why looking at emerging drug trends is really important. That is what the HSE is doing but I absolutely realise the importance of increasing funding and making sure it goes into services not just in urban areas, but also in rural Ireland. We need to look at emerging drugs and have an honest conversation about drug use in this country.

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