Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 45: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the steps he has taken to address the explosion in cocaine abuse in Dublin and throughout the State in the past three years, and its effects on abusers of the drug, on abusers' families and the communities they live in. [14966/07]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I have become increasingly aware of the concerns about the level of use of cocaine in Ireland over the past few years, broadly reflecting the increase in the availability and use of cocaine in Europe generally.

At my request, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) and the National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST) recently prepared a joint briefing paper on cocaine, based on existing data in Ireland. The paper, "An Overview of Cocaine Use in Ireland", concluded that all data sources indicated an upward trend in cocaine use, albeit from a low base. The paper also highlights the extremely high risks associated with cocaine and the physical and mental health problems that arise from its use.

Cocaine is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol and other substances and these messages on the real dangers associated with its use need to be highlighted. The social and economic harm also needs to be stressed, not only to the users of cocaine, but also to their families and to communities that bear the brunt of the behaviour of criminal activity associated with the supply and use of cocaine. I have repeatedly stressed the dangers associated with so-called "recreational" or "week-end" cocaine use and the glamorising of cocaine in some quarters.

A number of recommendations are made in the paper, principally in regard to treatment, but also covering supply, prevention and research.

A key conclusion of the report is that treatment, primarily in the form of counselling, can and does work and, in this context, the provision of cocaine specific clinics in areas where cocaine problems are more acute is being considered. However, in the broader context, I am of the view that we should work towards having drug services that can cater for the individual problem drug user, regardless of the drugs they use.

Another key recommendation relates to the training of frontline personnel to deal with cocaine issues. I have already funded a training initiative in this regard, as well as four pilot cocaine treatment projects to examine different methods of treatment for cocaine use. The outcomes of those projects which have been completed are being examined at present to see to what extent they can inform the way forward. Furthermore, I have funded six cocaine specific projects under the LDTF Emerging Needs Fund and support for a further nine projects aimed at polydrug/cocaine use under that Fund has been provided. All in all, funding of about €1.4m has been allocated to these projects.

Progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the briefing paper is being closely monitored by the Inter-departmental Group on Drugs, which I chair. In addition, the National Drugs Strategy Team, along with the Drug Task Forces, will continue to review the needs in communities.

Meanwhile, work on the second all-island Drugs Prevalence Survey is in progress and it is expected that preliminary results will be available in the latter part of this year. This will give much greater clarity on the overall prevalence of cocaine.

The challenges posed by cocaine use are significant, but I am confident that we can meet these challenges through a co-ordinated approach utilising the structures of the National Drugs Strategy.