The Irish government has committed new resources to tackle Ireland's chronic drug abuse problem as a new report last week claimed that up to 50% of Irish teenagers have tried illegal drugs.
John Curran, T.D. Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, announced last week funding of €120,000 per annum for the next five years for the development of the Partnership Education Initiative in Drug Prevention Education and Research Capacity at the UCD School of Applied Science.
"My Department, through the Drugs Task Forces, provides funding for addiction studies that workers and volunteers in the community can avail of. This new initiative, which I strongly support, will help them enhance and broaden their knowledge and not alone will they benefit, but the community as a whole will also reap the rewards as we continue our work in tackling problem drug use."
"The changing nature of problem drug use, particularly the emergence of cocaine and polydrug use, presents huge challenges for all of us. However, I am confident that, building on our experiences to date and with all sectors working together, we can meet these challenges." the Minister said.
Fine Gael T.D. Michael Ring expressed concern after reading new research published last week by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs. He said that the drugs problem in Ireland is at risk of "spiralling out of control".
"This survey shows once again that the current National Drugs Strategy is failing to tackle the nation's drug problem. Lifetime use of illegal drugs is as high as 38% in the East Coast region and drug use in the West has doubled from 12.5% in 2002/3 to 23.3% in 2006/7.
"We are now at a stage where Irish teenagers have overtaken their US counterparts in illegal drug use with 50% of young people admitting to have taken a drug at some stage in their lives compared with 40% of American teenagers.
"While we are developing a new National Drugs Strategy, it is vital that we follow through on the recommendations of the existing Strategy," said Mr Ring. Labour T.D. Jack Wall said that the report showed that the drug problem was no longer only a problem for working class Dublin suburbs, but instead a national problem.
"It is clear that drug use is far more prevalent among younger people and that cocaine use is increasing, with lifetime use of the drug going up in five of the areas surveyed."
"The numbers of young people experimenting with drugs in our towns, villages and cities is growing at an alarming rate." Mr Wall said that the state should look at developing compulsory as well as voluntary rehabilitation programmes in order to stem worrying trend in the use of illegal drugs in Ireland.
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