Phil Prendergast (Labour)

I wait with baited breath.

This issue is very serious and the social cost cannot be underestimated. There is a real threat that the recession and the savage attack on young people in the past two budgets will lead to an increase in drug use. This time we will not be able to afford the necessary response to young people becoming dependent on drugs or engaging in anti-social behaviour.

Criminologists, Ian O'Donnell and Eoin O'Sullivan of UCD and TCD respectively, did research which showed that crime rates fell in the 1990s, in particular, burglaries and theft, because the State ploughed resources into the methadone maintenance programme. This broke the cycle of people having to use theft and burglary to fund their habit because they were getting State-sponsored assistance.

The Aisling drug treatment centre and other such places deal with drug rehabilitation and treatment in a supportive environment. People are entering psychiatric units and attending accident and emergency departments because they need crisis intervention and treatment for taking too many uppers, they want downers, they do not want to be high etc.

There are various polysubstance abuse issues in regard to these drugs and the types of effects they have. The rehabilitation of addicts will be particularly important. However, it will be very difficult to identify what the treatment will be if we do not know the amount of the substance taken or the nuances which exist because they are legally sold. That is certainly an issue.

Last week two other shops opened in Tipperary so there must be an increase in the use of the substances they sell. Head shops are opening specifically at 4 a.m. to facilitate people coming from nightclubs. As the Minister stated, alcohol creates the potential for substance abuse. That mix is causing undue hardship on people. Failure to address the sale of these products will lead to a major social problem. We need to identify resources to deal with the issue. I thank the Minister for her attention.