Serious problems with ‘socially acceptable’ drugs

A PERCEIVED increase in substance misuse in Tallaght and Whitechurch over the last three years is the result of the high visibility of drug use in those locations, according to 60 per cent of people who took part in research carried out by a local drug and alcohol task force.

This finding was made in the Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force’s Draft Report on the landscape of substance misuse and its impact on the communities covered by the Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force.

Many of the key findings in the draft report centre on information collected from 308 people who took part in a survey, both online and in hard copy, with the majority of participants (63 per cent) living in the Tallaght and Whitechurch areas, while 43 per cent worked in those areas.

According to the findings in the draft report, 89 per cent of those who responded to the survey felt that issues with substance misuse in Tallaght had gotten worse, or much worse, during the last three years.

The respondents stated reasons behind this perception could be the high visibility of drug use in the area, the normalisation of the use of drugs (48 per cent), reduced garda resources (41 per cent), people starting to use drugs at a younger age (41 per cent), and the emergence of new substances and crack cocaine (40 per cent).

When asked to identify the main problem drug in their locality, the majority of respondents stated it was cannabis (68 per cent), followed by crack cocaine (60 per cent), cocaine (52 per cent) and alcohol (51 per cent).

“Young people have moved away from opiates due to the stigma attached to it but there are serious problems with ‘socially acceptable’ drugs such as weed, benzos and cocaine,” stated one respondent.

“A lot of people using these drugs function to a certain degree in their use until it impacts on their mental health, or they have serious drug debt because of it or pick up charges.”

The current level of investment in services to tackle substance misuse in Whitechurch and Tallaght was marked as either inadequate or very inadequate by 95 per cent of the survey respondents.

“I do see the work that people are trying to do but the number of drug users is growing faster than these organisations can handle and without the resources, funding, and general changes in society it is an uphill battle,” claimed one respondent.

Senator Lynn Ruane will launch the report on Monday

“Why is it that if you are born in Jobstown there is a bigger chance of you becoming a drug abuser than if you are born in Old Bawn? This should not be the case.”

A total of 63 per cent said more investment is needed in services and supports for children and teenagers, 57 per cent said more investment was needed in community-based frontline services, while 51 per cent said there was a need for more garda resources.

In terms of recommendations for tackling the issues raised in the report, the task force highlighted a funding disparity between them and other task forces.

The Tallaght task force ranks eighth out of 14 task forces, and its funding levels are less than some other task forces with smaller populations and a smaller number of service users.

In the draft report, the task force called for additional funding, with an emphasis on services for crack cocaine users and frontline community-based services.

Other recommendations in the draft report include increased investment in treatment and rehabilitation services, and the provision of residential treatment programmes for women who use crack cocaine.

The final report is set to be launched next Monday by Senator Lynn Ruane, and members of the national media are expected to be in attendance.