More than 90 per cent of venues nationwide which were forensically examined for cocaine tested positive for the drug, an RTÉ Prime Time Investigatesdocumentary will claim tonight.
Samples from surfaces in 269 bathrooms in pubs, clubs and other venues nationwide, including toilets in RTÉ, were analysed by Dr John Fox, the head of forensic science at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). He found traces of cocaine were present in 92 per cent of the venues, though RTÉ will not say if it is one of those venues.
Dr Des Corrigan, the head of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, said the results confirmed the prevalence of cocaine in the country.
"I think it just gives physical expression in all that we have learned and that we have to say to the Government about the availability of cocaine right throughout the country and the fact that it is more widespread."
Dr John Ryan, a consultant in emergency medicine at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin told the programme the hospital was seeing the effects of cocaine on a daily basis.
"We have seen people having a myocardial infarction or a heart attack. We've seen some critically ill patients with strokes or subarachnoid haemorrhages. We've seen fatalities," he said.
The two-part documentary has been several months in the making and was commissioned before the controversial High Society documentary which alleged that a former minister admitted taking the drug.
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