Written Answers. - Illegal Drugs.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:
23
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Health
the estimated number of users of illegal drugs in Dublin city; if he will give details of the number of users for the various types of drugs available; and the progress which has been made in combating the drug problem in Dublin city.
Considerable progress has been made in combating the drug abuse problem in Dublin city.
The level of services available for drug treatment has increased significantly. An outreach programme, operated by the Eastern Health Board, aimed at intravenous drug abusers is working successfully and the board have opened a community based drop-in centre for intravenous drug abusers in the south inner city of Dubin. A similar centre is being developed for the north side of the city. The Drugs Advisory and Treatment Centre in Pearse Street, Dublin 2 with associated inpatient detoxification facilities at Beaumont Hospital are providing services for over 3,500 attendances per annum. A number of voluntary agencies are also providing services for drug abusers in the Dublin area and these receive significant State funding from the Eastern Health Board, either directly or through the national lottery.
Co-operation between the State agencies at both national and local level towards reducing both the supply of and demand for drugs in Dublin city has intensified and this has resulted in an increasing number of persons charged with drug offences. A total of 1,344, of which 1,073 were in the Dublin area were charged with drug offences in 1989 as compared with 594 in 1979.
The Garda Síochána are also playing a major role in prevention and control of the misuse of drugs. Permanent units of the drug squad are operating in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Over 3,000 members of the force have completed a special intensive training course designed to ensure that each Garda division has a substantial number of members with advance training in the prevention and detection of drug abuse.
The Misuse of Drugs Regulations relating to the possession, supply, import and export of controlled drugs, were updated in 1988 notably in relation to prescription writing and dispensing requirements with a view to curbing the "street" availability of drugs of abuse.
The position is being kept under continuous review and as the Deputy may be aware I have recently reconstituted the National Co-ordinating Committee on Drugs to make recommendations on any further action necessary in the context of drawing up a National Plan on Drug Abuse.
The Deputy will be aware that it is difficult to estimate the number of users of illicit drugs in Dublin and that any figures quoted represent a trend rather than an absolute figure. The Health Research Board have just completed a pilot project aimed at establishing the incidence of drug abuse in the greater Dublin area, based on the first demand for treatment by drug abusers. This project established that a total of 336 persons attended for treatment for the first time during the month of August 1989.
The statistics from the Drug Advisory and Treatment Centre show that 1,001 persons attended the centre during 1989. The drugs being abused by these people were as follows — multiple abuse in certain cases: heroin 513, morphine 461, diconal 27, palfium 25, temgesic, 149, DF118 249, methadone 109, minor tranquillisers 483, cough mixtures 36, alochol 301, solvents 8, cocaine 29, cannabis 392, amphetamines 42, barbiturates 12, magic mushrooms 2, crack 1 (a US visitor) and LSD 5.
The national co-ordinating committee are at present examining how the existing data base can be expanded to provide more accurate annual data on drug abuse and, as far as is practicable, to assess the level of drug abuse among persons who do not present for treatment.
