Joe O'Toole (Independent)

More than one third of all crime is drugs related, which is due to the supply end of the problem. As well as methadone treatment units and new ways of dealing with people who are trying to come off heroin, there is also a case for using heroin as a treatment. The last time I mentioned this, the Minister of State looked aghast at me but there are well researched and documented cases of heroin addicts being maintained on heroin medically by doctors. They continued to live in their communities doing their jobs. I do not like the idea and I am certainly not putting it forward as something we should jump into, but if it is a method that keeps a certain control over society and allows people to make a contribution without them falling into the gutter, then we should examine it.

In my office I have an advertisement, dated 1910, for a very prominent drugs company which is still selling medicines and is one of the top ten such companies in the world. The 1910 advertisement was for a great new cure for influenza, coughs and other ailments, called heroin. In the early years of the 20th century, the company was marketing heroin as a curative drug. It demonstrates where research leads and how such a drug might have a positive side. I do not know, however, and I am not for one moment advocating that heroin should be decriminalised and made freely available. However, we need to have more information about it.

The drugs problem is a contradiction in terms. The Minister of State would know from his own constituency, better than me, that it is a community and social problem. The vast majority of heroin addicts come from the same socio-economic background as the majority of our prison population. While that is not so in all cases, we must make the necessary investment in social and community spheres.

The problem is also about self-esteem. People who resort to taking drugs have low self-esteem, lack self-confidence and do not enjoy success in their lives. We must examine the problem in terms of such people's backgrounds, environment and how they live their lives. Sports infrastructure is important in this respect and I will reiterate this point later today during statements on the provision of national sporting facilities. We cannot invest too much money in getting young people involved in sports and outdoor activities generally. There is always a great debate over the money we give to the GAA. However, if we had to pay for what the GAA provides to every small community, and estimated the displacement cost of the crime prevented by engendering all that positive activity and a sense of people's place in their local communities, we could not buy it.

Due to the nature of the human race, most of the investment is in competitive sports which involve physical contact. However, the Minister of State should consider the fact that the young teenager who is drawn into drugs is not attracted to contact sports and may not be physically strong. Therefore, we also need to invest in other positive outdoor pursuits to ensure there is a place for everyone.

I ask the Minister of State to pursue such a policy. We can then consider the aspect of family support, which is crucial. The interim report makes reference to looking at the importance of family support. Nothing is more important. The input by schools will only be for a few hours per day whereas family input will be for 17 to 19 hours per day. The same is true for the community. We need to consider what is going wrong and how we can steer people away from the problem at that level.

The interim report makes a sensible suggestion regarding how we respond to the use of drugs, which I ask the Minister of State to consider. I believe he made some comment on it recently. One of the recommendations from the completed research in the report states: "A distinction should be made between the preventative measures aimed at occasional and experimental use of cannabis and that of the prevention of problem-use of other illegal substances, which are associated with deprivation." This is the reality. Let us not spend all the time of police and task forces on a handful of youngsters experimenting because that will happen anyway. If the experimentation becomes constant use it is a different matter and a call must be made.

Cannabis is a dangerous substance, as is tobacco. Tobacco, cannabis and alcohol are regarded as gateway drugs and users may move on to other drugs. We must recognise that not everybody who experiments with cannabis will become a regular user. Similarly, they will not necessarily move up the line. The same applies to so-called recreational drugs, such as ecstasy and others of that genre. Users of these drugs will not necessarily move on. Unfortunately, perhaps, those drugs have become part of the culture of the day. We must take responsibility for some of that. We have created a climate in which this is now the social norm. We must all — not just the Government and families — accept some share of the blame in this regard.

I compliment the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on its new aggressive, assertive, highly-focused and very effective campaign on the use of cocaine, which is a dangerous drug. It is a killer and is as dangerous as heroin. The idea that it is a drug that can be used at weekends for recreation and forgotten about afterwards is inaccurate. It is highly addictive and many people are drawn into its use on the basis that they can take it on a night out and put it behind them. Unfortunately, many people are sucked into it, become dependent and addicted, and their lives are destroyed.

We need to be aware that a huge abuse of cocaine is taking place in this city. The action taken by the Department has been very important and I hope it produces results. This is the kind of approach that should be taken. It is not about telling people: "Don't do it; there's a risk." We know there is a risk, which will attract young people. The reality of cocaine is that those who begin to use it tend to be mature people with considerable excess money who should have more sense. However, in taking the drug they are making one more attempt to find a new life experience, which is sad. It is wrecking lives, families and businesses.

The solution must start with self-esteem. The problem lies with people with a very poor self-image, who have little success and feel there is nothing in their lives for them. People revert to drug use when they leave prison or even when they go into prison. They often go back on drugs again following a difficult detoxification process. This is because the circumstances that lead them to use in the first place bring them back to drugs afterwards. For this reason rehabilitation support structures are equally important. We should at least hope that those who have been through detoxification and have kicked the habit for any period get all the support necessary to ensure they do not go back to drug use.

I congratulate the Minister of State on his new post. I hope he will make a success of it. He will put energy into it. I would like to be associated with the comments of Senator White regarding Deputy Eoin Ryan during the period he spent as Minister of State with responsibility for addressing the problem of drugs. He did a superb job. I do not say this in any patronising way. He gained the confidence of people. I saw him in the north side of the city on many occasions dealing with community groups that welcomed him in a way that most politicians are not normally welcomed in such situations. Spending time with the various groups dealing with drug addiction and abuse within the inner city in particular is well worthwhile and gives credibility to the role of the Minister of State. I wish him well.