Ireland and six EU states devising plan to cut cocaine use

Ireland is one of seven EU countries collecting intelligence on trafficking to devise measures to counteract the cocaine epidemic, the Dáil was told.

Minister of State with responsibility for drugs Pat Carey rejected Opposition claims that nothing was being done about the cocaine epidemic.

A UN report said Ireland was experiencing a higher rate of increase of cocaine use than other developed countries.

Jack Wall (Lab, Kildare South) claimed the figures showed "that we are not doing anything, that we are allowing the use of cocaine to increase to epidemic proportions".

He highlighted the report's figures that "2kg of cocaine a day is consumed in the greater Dublin area".

Mr Carey, however, said that in an important intervention to deal with cocaine, Ireland and six other EU member states would be involved in devising intelligence-led measures to counter the epidemic.

The UN report on drug use showed "Ireland is the fifth-highest nation in terms of the increase in cocaine use and is the only developed nation that has experienced a large increase in use".

The "number of cocaine-related offences recorded by gardaí has increased fourfold from 297 to 1,243. Cocaine seizures increased from 17kg in 2002 to 270kg in 2006. Everything is going in the opposite direction from what we want."

Mr Carey said, however, that it "should be borne in mind that our rate of increase is coming from a very low base and within developed countries we are considered a mid-ranking country in terms of cocaine usage. Major European countries such as Great Britain and Spain are continuing to experience higher rates of usage."

Mr Carey added: "It is worth noting that the main author of the UN report, Thomas Pietschmann, attributed the result in part to 'honest reporting' by the Irish Government. He further commented that it was normal for countries that were performing well economically to be targeted for cocaine sales.

Mr Wall responded that "we should not accept that it is normal for cocaine use to increase if we are doing well. What alternatives are we providing to weekend use of cocaine?"

Markers had to be put down to break the momentum of cocaine use increasing to epidemic proportions, "otherwise we will experience again what we experienced in the early 1990s with heroin".

Mr Carey agreed the use of cocaine was worrying. "It is now a phenomenon across all social classes." Further interventions were needed and while use remained considerably behind Britain and Spain, that was no great consolation.

"In 2002, gardaí seized 18kg of cocaine. Some 190,000kg were seized last year with a street value of €13 million. That is an enormous increase and it is worrying."

There were measures in place and pilot projects including four cocaine-specific initiatives, and there were good community-based initiatives, Mr Carey said.