ANALYSIS:IN THE 1980s, Dublin witnessed epidemic levels of heroin addiction. In some flats complexes in the inner city, a substantial portion of a whole generation turned to the drug, writes Conor Lally.
In the early days, little was known about the risk of contracting HIV through sharing needles. Many addicts avoided overdosing and kicked their habit, only to later test positive for HIV.
Back in the 1980s the heroin problem was put down to social deprivation and marginalisation.
The communities worst affected were earmarked for massive Government investment.
In some places, such as Sheriff Street in Dublin's north inner city, virtually all of the old local authority housing was razed and replaced with new dwellings.
The health services redoubled their efforts. Treatment options and harm-reduction programmes, such as needle exchanges and methadone, were offered to those struggling with addiction.
The health response was not ideal, but it was at least something.
Then the Celtic Tiger kicked in and banished the social deprivation that everyone believed had spawned heroin's popularity. Gone were the massive unemployment rates in the areas were heroin flourished.
Through the expansion of agencies like Fás, training was never as easy to come by. Third- level education options exploded and college fees were abolished. In the new Ireland, it seemed that even the poor kids had a chance.
Despite all of this, though, there are more heroin addicts than ever in Ireland. Why? "Poverty is still around in many areas," says Dr Joe Barry, public health consultant with the Health Service Executive (HSE). "If you talk to people like the St Vincent de Paul, they'll tell you they are as busy as ever, so the Celtic Tiger didn't bring poverty to an end."
Heroin users on methadone are given the heroin substitute by their GPs or at a local clinic. This means they no longer need to engage in crime to raise money to feed their habits.
Dr Barry argues that while the number of heroin users in methadone treatment is continuing to rise, it doesn't necessarily mean the heroin problem is continuing to get worse. He points out that in 1996 there were an estimated 13,000 heroin users in Ireland with 5,000 in treatment. "That figure is around 13,500 now, according to the latest research, but more than 9,000 are in treatment."
He says while drug-free treatment options still need improvement, many users have seen their lives stabilised by taking methadone. He also believes methadone treatment has been a first step in introducing drug users and their families to other health and social services
However, the numbers in treatment have done little to dent the trade in heroin. While the growth in popularity of cocaine has been a major concern in recent years, gardaí point out that heroin seizures have significantly increased in the past five years.
Heroin costs some €200,000 a kilo compared with the €80,000 a kilo price of cocaine. The lucrative nature of the heroin trade and the addictiveness of the drug are both continuing to drive availability and demand.
One senior Garda source said: "Around two years ago, almost €20 million in heroin was seized in the space of a month. In the '80s or '90s that kind of seizure would have caused a drought of the drug for weeks or months but this time it didn't have any impact on the availability or price of the drug on the streets. So that's a very good indication of how much of it is out there."