Ivor Callely (Fianna Fail)

When this motion was moved, the Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs was present. Today I am delighted to see here my constituency colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy Seán Haughey, and I wish him well.

In my contribution on 19 December 2007, I indicated that the Dublin County Coroner stated on the previous day that cocaine was the commonest cause of death in more than half of all inquests. The year 2007 saw a large number of inquests into drug-related deaths and nearly all deaths involved young people. It was also stated that Ireland has the third highest level of cocaine use in Europe. Other reports give one a handle on the volume and in this regard the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda Síochána state that seizures of the drug have risen by 800% in the past five years. There are statistics we cannot ignore in respect of illegal drug use, particularly cocaine and related substances.

That Ministers of State from more than one Department have been present during our consideration of this motion shows we are adopting a cross-departmental approach to the problem. In the past, some of the agencies of the State may have been out in the field alone when trying to address some of the issues that arise.

Cocaine has been glamorised and romanticised in terms of its perceived benefits. On the last occasion on which I spoke on this matter, I asked how one could glamorise and romanticise a drug brought to the country in questionable circumstances. If one knew how it was transported here, one would have second thoughts about using it. I highlighted the fact that cocaine can be mixed with kerosene, sulphuric acid, calcium and a range of other chemicals to convert it into an appropriate paste. Its journey to Ireland might easily involve transportation in a person's stomach or rectum. Eventually, the cocaine is likely to reach Joe Scumbag, a low-life character who will mix it with flour or talcum power, if one is lucky, or rat poison, if one is not.

As we know, cocaine is divided into lines and snorted on cisterns or toilet lids. The pure form of the drug may cause heart attacks, haemorrhages or strokes. Contaminated versions may lead to a range of other potentially lethal problems. Although many people have taken it and lived to tell the tale, all have fallen victim to the substance and have helped to further the activities of the low-life drug dealers in our communities.

Drug-taking is a personal choice. However, before the powder-nosed sniffers take their next sniff, they should ask themselves whether they would consume a product offered to them it if it had been trampled into the mud, mixed with powerful chemicals, stuffed up somebody's back passage for some time and if they were asked to eat it using a toilet lid as a plate. If this were the case, would they have second thoughts?

One must question the value and success of the drugs strategies employed over recent years across Departments and agencies of the State. I have no doubt strategies were put in place on the basis of priority, the balance of advantage and the attempted reconciliation of various competing demands. While there may have been general agreement on the illness associated with substance abuse, there has been no such agreement on the correct strategy to be applied. Far too much comment is devoted to diagnosis, use and abuse and not nearly enough to strategies and their results.

When I raised this issue on the Order of Business, I referred to the fact that we had been dealing with substance abuse on a sectoral, regional and independent departmental basis. Different interests seize on particular aspects but we now need a uniform national response to the substantive and broader associated issues. The cocaine epidemic is and has been demonstrated to be a menace to human life, including family life, and society. The string of injuries, deaths and blatant abuses by the low-life involved in the drugs trade, which are becoming more frequent, is unacceptable. The available information and statistics justify the imposition of emergency measures to remove known activists in the drug trade from the communities in which they operate.

A known criminal was shot last weekend and is now seriously ill. This person was freely walking the streets of Dublin when he was shot several times. It is not the first time a person known to the Garda has been attacked in this manner. The Garda and other security forces of the State do tremendous work and put their lives at risk to protect the public. However, the system lets them down in so far as particular individuals are able to go about their business gaily while putting others at risk. We have reached the stage where emergency measures are required.

A recent documentary on the drugs industry indicated that the people involved at different levels in combatting drugs crime, including gardaí, customs officers and so on, know the identities of the main movers and are aware of their activities and movements but can do nothing about it. This is unacceptable to the citizens of this State. I understand the Garda could point out every one of the principals. There is public support for the imposition of emergency measures to prevent what we have repeatedly witnessed on the streets of Dublin and elsewhere with the associated risk to innocent members of the public.

Alcohol, drug and substance abuse in any form has been clearly demonstrated to be a positive menace to human life. Good work has been undertaken both by agencies of the State and by private industry in educating the public. The Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, and I are familiar with the work of Michael Patten of Diageo, for example, within the drinks industry. It has run a good campaign, particularly through the use of television advertisements, to encourage people to use alcohol sensibly. I also pay tribute to the work done by Irish Distillers, where my brother works, in highlighting the importance of drinking sensibly and the pleasure to be enjoyed from an appropriate use of alcohol.

As a former member of a health board, I am aware of the work done by outreach workers who put their lives at risk to make contact with people who slip through the existing safety nets. Progress has been made in certain areas and I congratulate the personnel involved. The Minister of State, Deputy Carey, referred to the important work done by State agencies and observed that there is significant scope for greater co-operation. It is important that we consider how best to maximise the potential for raising awareness in our 21st century society about the dangers of illegal drug use and alcohol abuse.

The time is opportune to embark on a new policy and strategy. We all accept that a great deal remains to be done to improve the existing position. I have heard and read speeches by successive authorities on the subject of substance abuse which included expressions of the finest humanitarian sentiments one could wish to hear. However, I question the progress we have made to deal with the root cause of the problem.

I had far more to contribute to this debate but the Cathaoirleach has indicated that my time has expired.