asked the Minister for Health the estimated number of drug addicts in Dublin in each of the past five years.
Written Answers. - Drug Addiction.
468.
The actual number of drug addicts in Dublin in each of the past five years is not known. In 1979, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 69 admissions for drug addiction to psychiatric hospitals in the Dublin area. The figures for the previous four years were as follows:
|
Year |
No. of Admissions |
|
1978 |
95 |
|
1977 |
112 |
|
1976 |
108 |
|
1975 |
132 |
In 1980, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 7,138 attendances by 1,425 persons at the Jervis Street Drug Advisory and Treatment Centre. The figures for the previous four years were as follows:
Jervis Street.
|
Year |
No. of Attendances |
No. of Persons |
|
1979 |
8,083 |
1,344 |
|
1978 |
6,892 |
1,195 |
|
1977 |
9,578 |
1,259 |
|
1976 |
7,739 |
1,130 |
469.
asked the Minister for Health the number of persons admitted to hospital suffering from drug overdoses in each of the last five years.
Statistics as to the number of people admitted to hospital suffering from drug overdose are not specifically collected. However, it is estimated from statistics collected by the Medico-Social Research Board that approximately 4,000 people were admitted to general hospitals in 1980 due to adverse effects of drugs.
It is not possible to make accurate estimations for earlier years as sufficient detailed information regarding the reasons for admissions is not available.