Pilot initiatives aimed at tackling growing levels of cocaine use in the State are to be introduced in the coming months, the Government has promised.
The projects, to be announced today by the Minister of State for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Noel Ahern, follow reports of rising levels of cocaine use in the State and of more cocaine making its way into the country.
The first all-Ireland drug prevalence survey published last April revealed that south Dublin and Wicklow had the highest level of cocaine use in the Republic. Some 6.3 per cent of all adults in the region had tried cocaine. Among 15- to 34-year-olds in the area that figure was 10.5 per cent. This exceeded the highest national EU rate for cocaine prevalence, a figure of 8.7 per cent recorded in the UK in 2002.
The study, published by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and the Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit in Northern Ireland, also showed every region in the Republic to be affected by almost all types of illegal drug, including crack cocaine.
In addition, figures published last month showed around 270 kilograms, or €19 million worth, of the drug was seized by gardaí and customs and excise officers last year. This marked a very considerable increase on the 114 kilograms, or €8 million worth, of the drug seized in 2003.
Mr Ahern, who has responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, indicated funding for the new initiatives will come from the 18 per cent increase in funding for drugs programmes in 2005 announced in the Estimates in November. The overall budget for drugs programmes this year stands at €31.5 million.
The money, in addition to being used on a number of projects specifically to tackle cocaine use, will be spent on implementing the action plans of regional drugs task forces and improving the administrative supports of these task forces, as well as building community and youth facilities.
