CARP documentary win - Debbie Dolan (Project Worker), Patrick Doran (Film Maker) and James Kelly (Manager)
Cocaine becomes un-snortable because you destroy your nose
“People are using cocaine younger, and the effects of cocaine start to wear.”
A new podcast by a Ballycullen filmmaker reveals people are starting to use cocaine younger and move on to crack cocaine when their noses can’t snort anymore.
Filmmaker Patrick Doran and James Kelly, manager of CARP (Community Addiction Response Programme) in Killinarden sat down for a podcast follow-up to their award-winning documentary ‘Hope in a Crack Epidemic’, which shed light on a vital frontline addiction service for women in Tallaght.
Speaking on the new podcast ‘Talking With Patrick’, James described how the age bracket for people using cocaine has shifted in recent years.
“People are using cocaine younger, and then the effects of cocaine start to wear, as in the physical effects, their noses get damaged,” he explained.
“Cocaine eventually becomes un-snortable because you destroy your nose, so you will see an increase, I think, of crack cocaine in the wider community.”
James and his team at CARP, who run a contingency management program helping people affected by crack cocaine, see everything happening on the ground.
“As much as that’s in socially disadvantaged areas, that will become the normality of cocaine users across the board.”
“You will see an increase of crack cocaine in the wider community, not just in socially disadvantaged areas or areas that have been left to rot as far as I’m concerned, this will get bigger.”
The episode expands on the deeper issues facing Tallaght with neglect, drug use, criminality, as well as James’ own journey through addiction to where he is now.
He also highlighted the expansion of CARP’s service with a new men’s crack cocaine programme after the success of the women’s programme, which was the first of its kind in Ireland.
Hope in a Crack Epidemic, filmed in 2022, was awarded Best Documentary at the 16th Underground Cinema International Film Festival (UCIFF), at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire in September 2025.
It investigates the growing crack cocaine epidemic in Ireland focusing in particular on the West Dublin area of Tallaght, and on techniques used by drug dealers to target vulnerable women and mothers.
The episode is available on the Talking With Patrick Podcast, a new bi-weekly series created by Patrick that looks to deep dive into issues and topics in Ireland, such as nitrous oxide use and the housing crisis, and is available wherever you get your podcasts.
