Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I second the motion. I wish to share my time with Senator Coffey. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Carey, to the House. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the escalating drug issue and the consumption of alcohol. I commend the Minister of State's contribution and I assure him of cross-party consensus on this motion.

If the Government is serious about tackling the serious drug and alcohol issues, we need to see some positive action regarding high-profile prosecutions, strong sentencing, resourcing of the Garda Síochána drug units, Garda raids on pubs and clubs and mandatory drug testing in schools. I hope the Minister of State will include alcohol as part of the new national drugs strategy. If we think the sudden and tragic death of Katy French will expose the dangers of drug use to young people, we are mistaken. The lives and deaths of those who have died too young, from James Dean to Kurt Cobain, have always been tinged with romance. It is not until young people meet and hear the heartbreak of a family member or of a friend of one whose life has been devastated by drug use or until they meet a doctor or a paramedic who can demonstrate to them how drugs devastate the body, or until they meet a drug user and see the real pain, will the dangers of drugs be finally exposed.

Drugs must be demystified and the medical and psychological ramifications of drug use must be exposed, along with the tabloid gloss that has been allowed to cover over the problem. The Minister of State made reference in some interviews that snorting a line of cocaine is as socially unacceptable as somebody who stumbles out of a pub and drives a car. We should not fool ourselves for one moment. Most people in society and all of us in politics recognise that many people do not equate drug-taking with illegality or with causing damage. The message should be that cocaine use must be highlighted and stopped. I refer to the Minister of State's speech and the review of the national drugs strategy. I ask him to convene a national drugs forum, similar to what was done with the issue of Northern Ireland. This will give impetus and status to the national drugs strategy. A national forum on drugs would bring together a wide range of Departments and the Garda Síochána, the HSE, local drugs task forces, community activists, young people, professional groups and all interested parties, to discuss how best to tackle this issue at both a local and a national level.

I am a school teacher and I believe a radical overhaul of the drugs education programme is required. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive drugs and alcohol education programme in schools. The message must be that drugs kill, that there is no quality control on drugs, that drug dealers care only about money and their profits and do not care a whit for the person to whom they sell the drugs. We must sell this message to the public.

Cocaine use is rampant and has become a leading killer in Ireland. Yesterday a Dublin coroner revealed that of the 47 inquests into drug-related deaths, 26 were cocaine-related, 16 heroin-related and five involved ecstasy. This is a serious indictment of all of us.

The national drug-related index survey will be published soon and this is to be welcomed. It is important to have comparative figures. My one regret is that this debate, the Minister of State's appearance on "Prime Time" and coverage in the newspapers, is not reaching the target audience because this audience does not watch television news programmes or read newspapers. I welcome the initiative regarding Facebook and Bebo. I also urge the Minister of State to examine the possibility of putting videos on YouTube.

Simply telling young people that drugs are bad and that they should say "No" is not working. We need to think outside the box. The Minister of State will receive my support for every effort he makes to reach young people. It is imperative that we do something. Education is a most important element in the fight against drugs. We should not forget that drugs kill and affect families and society. We must get that message across.

Drugs task forces need to be strengthened in order that we can tackle the misuse of drugs in local communities by providing the essential resources to implement the national drugs strategy. There may be an element of empire building in some drugs task force areas. I do not wish to be specific as much good work is being done but some drugs task forces do not appear to be properly focused. In his review of the drugs strategy I urge the Minister of State to examine the operation of local drugs task forces.

The Government has let people down in the area of drug treatment in terms of the investment that is required. Only 28 detox beds are available to help 14,500 heroin addicts. We must recognise that most drug users consume more than one type of drug. A survey revealed that approximately 92% of people who began using drugs after 1998 are now polydrug users. It is important that we examine drug treatment programmes.

I welcome the Minister of State's reference to synergies. As we know, alcohol is a gateway drug. It is therefore important that we include binge drinking by teenagers as part of the next national drugs strategy.

It must be brought to the attention of the Judiciary the message it gives out through its sentences. There is too much inconsistency in sentencing policy. I accept that mandatory sentencing has its drawbacks but we need to send a strong message through the Judiciary. I urge that guidelines on sentencing would be made available to judges. It is important that we would send a hardline message regarding sentencing.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, for attending the debate. I assure him that on this side of the House we will be positive where it is necessary to assist him in reaching a consensus regarding the elimination of this sad epidemic that is part of society.