Drug use among asylum-seekers and other immigrants is increasing rapidly, a ground-breaking study to be published on Monday finds, writes Kitty Holland.
The problem is exacerbated by delays in the asylum process, economic marginalisation and the stigma associated with drug use for these communities, according to Drug Use Among New Communities: An Exploratory Study.
The report, by Merchants Quay Ireland, the largest voluntary drug rehabilitation centre in the State, is based on interviews with members of African, Asian and eastern European communities here.
The authors found new arrivals were using the whole spectrum of street drugs available here, as well as from their countries of origin.
"Members of the Somali community were reported to be using khat, while some Russians were making a special porridge \, laced with cannabis." Khat is a natural stimulant from the Catha Edulis plant. Its leaves are dried and chewed. Africans are generally more likely to smoke cocaine, while Europeans are more likely to inject heroin, the report finds.
About half of those interviewed had used drugs before coming to Ireland.
"The stress associated with applying for asylum and their insecure legal status were often significant factors" in drug use, the report says.
One 25-year-old Nigerian man who smoked cocaine said: "I take drugs because of my pain. I am very stressed out about my situation, and part of it is the asylum process because I can't work and am unable to travel to see my family."
Boredom, associated with not being allowed to work, was cited as a factor by asylum-seekers. A lack of family supports was also significant.
A fieldworker told the authors he had come across a 30-year-old Moldovan who injected heroin. "He started to use drugs in Ireland when he was living in the hostel. He has been seeking asylum for four years," he said.
Other noteworthy factors were the traumatic experience of being an immigrant, previous distressing experiences such as torture and war and a desire to "fit in" with Irish peers.
New communities tend to be concentrated in the "lowest-rent" areas where drugs may be more readily available. The consensus was that drug use among Africans was "increasing rapidly".
The findings, say the authors, are consistent with similar studies in Australia and Britain.
"New communities are not at a heightened risk of involvement with illicit drugs because of their ethnicity or minority status but because of a range of economic and social disadvantages."
Most (70 per cent) of respondents said they were interested in drug treatment, but cited numerous barriers. The most important was not knowing where to go. Others included language barriers, waiting lists and stigma.
The authors make 11 recommendations, including a drugs outreach team for Dublin "specifically targeting drug-users from new communities".