Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004
135 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a recent report from the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction which states that young Irish people have the highest rate of solvent abuse in the EU; the efforts being made to counter solvent abuse among young people here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7691/04]
View answer144 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the annual report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction which states that cannabis use among Irish 15 to 16 year olds is the third highest in the EU and that cannabis use among Irish teenagers is reaching saturation point; the efforts being made to counter cannabis use among Irish teenagers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7692/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 144 together.
The Deputy is referring to the annual report for 2003 of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA, on the state of the drugs problem in the European Union and Norway, which was released in October 2003. The report found that cannabis is the most commonly used drug in EU countries. In this context, lifetime prevalence — i.e., any use during a person's life — among 15 to 16 year old schoolchildren for the use of cannabis in Ireland was reported as being 32%. Lifetime prevalence for solvents in the same age group was reported as 22% in the EMCDDA report.
However, the Deputy should note that the findings in the area of solvent and cannabis misuse in Ireland are primarily based on five year old data from the 1999 European school survey project on alcohol and other drugs, ESPAD. The ESPAD study examines the prevalence of drug use, both legal and illegal, among 15 to 16 year old schoolchildren. In this context, I draw the Deputy's attention to the results from the first drug prevalence survey in Ireland, which I launched in October of last year. The national advisory committee on drugs, for which my Department has responsibility, and the Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit in Northern Ireland undertook this survey jointly. The survey provides solid statistical information and more up-to-date figures on drug use in Ireland.
As part of the survey, a total of 8,442 people were interviewed on a face-to-face basis between October 2002 and April 2003 in line with EMCDDA guidelines. The relevant results are outlined in the following table:
|
Lifetime use |
Last year use |
Last month use |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
Cannabis |
23.6 |
11.1 |
5.7 |
|
Solvents |
3.6 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
|
Lifetime use |
Last year use |
Last month use |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
Cannabis |
17.6 |
5.1 |
2.6 |
|
Solvents |
1.8 |
0.1 |
<0.05 |
Although this level of usage is still of concern, it shows Ireland to be more in line with European norms. In general, the drug prevalence survey found that the vast majority of the general population have never used any illegal drugs and that a relatively small percentage is currently using illegal drugs. However, I am aware that drug use — including the use of cannabis and solvents — continues to do much harm in society and the Government is determined to continue tackling it through the ongoing implementation of the national drugs strategy 2001-2008.
The Department of Education and Science implemented substance misuse prevention in all schools in the LDTF areas during the academic year 2001-02 and the social, personal and health programme, SPHE, has been on the curriculum of all primary and secondary schools since September 2003. This work is being supported by the SPHE support service, which has recruited additional trainers and support officers. In addition, the Department of Health and Children launched the first phase of a national awareness campaign in May 2003. The campaign features television and radio advertising supported by an information brochure and website, all designed to promote greater awareness and communication about the drugs issue in Ireland. Through actions like these we can equip people, particularly young people, with the skills and knowledge necessary to make informed choices about their health and future and reject drug use.
