Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the abuse of drugs. Given that the global drugs industry is worth as much as $500 billion and the estimated worth of Ireland's drugs industry is €1 billion, it is easy to see how people are attracted to becoming involved financially.

When we are out on the streets, the problems we encounter cannot be measured in financial terms. The effect a drug addict has on his or her immediate family and the wider community can be devastating. Every day in the north inner city, I see the consequences. In the 1980s, communities took to the streets because of the scourge of heroin in the north inner city and throughout Dublin. Parents, relatives and friends of people who were dying because of the use of heroin became involved. It took such action for successive Governments to take notice of what was happening. Fortunately, since then huge progress has been made for which I congratulate the Minister of State and his Department. I am spokesperson on the drugs strategy in the Seanad and I have seen at first hand the improvements that have taken place on the ground at all levels, on the part of gardaí, in rehabilitation and treatment services and in education.

It is widely accepted that there is no standard international model to deal with drug addiction and the consequences of the misuse of drugs. There always will be a market and people willing to supply it, which is not surprising given the amounts of money involved. However, we are resourcing the problem to a much greater extent than previously and it is having an effect. I have been involved with the local drugs task force in the north inner city since its inception and the different strands of the strategy are having an obvious effect. There are still problems and people, for whatever reason, continue to slip through the net, whether they are waiting for detox treatment, for counselling or for methodone. We must, therefore, concentrate on those areas.

The co-operation between the State agencies and the local communities plays, as the Minister of State said, a huge role in the implementation of the strategy and I see that on a daily basis. Three times a year we attend a local policing forum in the north inner city. The community, gardaí, the local authority and the various health agencies come together to discuss the problems. At the last meeting a Garda spent 20 minutes reporting the various seizures that had been made since the previous forum, which was startling. The seizures varied from amounts carried by a person for his or her own use to major hauls involving millions of euro worth of ecstasy tablets, cocaine, heroin and cannabis. That shows the effect the drugs squads around the country are having and the Garda Síochána must be congratulated. It needs as much resources as possible to keep the work going. It is accepted internationally that seizures account for only 10% of what is in circulation, which is a frightening thought. However, the Garda is well on target to meet its requirements under the strategy.

There are three tiers to the problem. The first is international trafficking and production and, as Senator Henry said, we must think differently about that element of the problem. We must consider international ways of tackling the drugs coming out of Afghanistan, Colombia and other places, including encouraging the replacement of poppies as the cash crops in such countries. The EU has a role to play and the Garda is in regular contact with Interpol in that regard. The Department should continue to pursue that approach.

The second tier is the import and distribution into the country, at which point the main dealers make their money as the drugs are broken up and distributed. The final tier involves the local dealers and the market. As I said, there always will be a market and young people will always want to experiment as that is in the nature of young people. However, we must educate them to make choices not to submit to peer pressure.

We see the effects of the misuse of alcohol in our young population. As Senator Ó Murchú said, they are making television programmes about it now. We must continue to educate and huge strides have been made. The SPHE, which has been compulsory in all primary and secondary schools since 2003, is having an effect. However, we must develop the curriculum to take account of changes taking place. There are new drugs on the market with different effects from those with which we are familiar. Young people, parents and teachers must be educated to recognise the signs, to give advice and to deal with the problem appropriately. Garda youth diversion programmes are hugely successful and I know a couple in my own area, but they need resourcing and a greater framework on which to build. Other successful models exist and the more we adopt the better.

I have my reservations about methodone treatment. I have not seen the ROSIE report, to which the Minister of State referred, but it seems very interesting. It claims 27% of users are abstinent from all drugs after one year's treatment but I would be concerned about the other three quarters of users. We have all seen the recent publicity concerning the Liffey boardwalk and the problems there, which were attributed to recovering addicts. That the boardwalk is equidistant from three major treatment centres meant it became a place of congregation for people in rehabilitation. Methodone is only one of the treatments available.

There have been huge strides forward in combatting drugs. I urge the Minister of State to continue the good work that has been done. Local communities will offer co-operation and support, as will this House where there is cross-party support. I look forward to the strategy going from strength to strength.