My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the national drugs strategy 2001-08. The strategy aims to tackle the drug problem in the most comprehensive way ever undertaken in this country and contains 100 individual actions – under the four pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research – to be implemented by a range of Departments and agencies.
My Department also has responsibility for the work of the local drugs task forces, which were established in 1997, in the areas experiencing the highest levels of drug misuse. Currently, there are 14 local drugs task forces – 12 in Dublin, one in Cork and one in Bray. In total, the Government has spent or allocated over €130 million to implement the proposals contained in the two rounds of plans of the task forces since 1997, the premises initiative for drugs projects and young peoples facilities and services fund.
As regards the research which has been done in the area of cocaine use in Ireland, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs has commissioned a national population survey, which is due to be completed this summer and which should give us a reliable picture of drug use nationwide, including cocaine. The committee also undertook its own review of the available information on the nature and extent of cocaine use in Ireland and this was presented to the interdepartmental group on drugs in April.
In this context, the best available information is based on the recent SLÁN, survey of lifestyles, attitudes and nutrition, survey carried out by the Department of Health and Children, which found that 2.4% of respondents in the 18 to 64 year age bracket reported using cocaine in the 12 months preceding the survey. More recent provisional figures from the Customs and Excise and the Garda also suggest that cocaine seizures in Ireland have increased substantially, particularly in 2002, and the Garda authorities have expressed concern at the apparent recent increase in cocaine use, especially in the Dublin City area.
The Eastern Regional Health Authority has also reported that its services are beginning to notice an increase in those presenting with problems related to cocaine use, though it should be noted that the numbers involved are still very low and, in total, they make up about 1% of those in treatment.