Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
YOUNG ADULTS IN Ireland are taking MDMA and cannabis significantly more in recent years than they used to, while use of other illegal drugs has dropped.
The latest European Drug Report 2018: Trends and Developments also finds that Ireland has the second highest rate of use of opioids per population.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) report looks at trends in drugs use, supply, prevention, enforcement and healthcare solutions across 30 European countries.
In general, the reports finds that in Europe drug availability is high and in some areas appears to be increasing.
Latest figures show that over one million seizures of illicit drugs were reported in 2016 across the EU.
Over 92 million adults in the EU have tried an illicit drug in their lifetimes while an estimated 1.3 million people received treatment for illicit drug use in 2016.
In Ireland, trends show that the use of certain drugs is increasing – particularly among young adults.
In 2015, just under 14% of young adults (age 15-34) reported using cannabis in the last year, compared to about 10% in 2007.
Meanwhile, use of MDMA (also known as ecstasy) has jumped significantly in recent years.
A total of 4.4% of young adults reported using the drug in the last year, compared to 2.6% in 2007. Ireland ranks second in Europe in rate of use of MDMA (behind the Netherlands).
Reported use of cocaine has decreased slightly, while use of amphetamine has also dropped.
High-risk use and offences
Ireland’s rate of high-risk opioid use is also the second highest in Europe, behind the UK.
In Ireland, figures show there are about 19,000 high-risk opioid users. Latest figures for 2015 show that there were 224 deaths from overdose in Ireland.
The drug-induced mortality rate in Ireland was 70 deaths per million in 2015 – over three times the European average and one of the highest on the continent.
Ireland last year launched its new drug strategy, called ‘Reducing harm, supporting recovery: a health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017- 2025′.
This is the first strategy that moves towards an integrated approach to illicit drug and alcohol use – aiming to focus on health rather than justice as means of reducing drug use and harm.
A public consultation was launched last week looking for views on whether drugs should be decriminalised.
In 2016, there were 16,119 drug offences committed in Ireland. A total of 11,486 of these related to possession while just 3,982 had to do with supply.
Tony Duffin of the Dublin-based Ana Liffey Drug Project said that the EMCDDA report showed that for a small country “Ireland continues to have significant issues with drug use”.
“We are criminalising large numbers of people every year, but the evidence from around the world shows that doing so does not significantly reduce the numbers of people who use drugs, but does act as a barrier to support, care and future opportunities.
It is widely acknowledged that drug use is a health issue and not a criminal justice issue – it is one that requires a health based response.
He said the Ana Liffey organisation supports the planned health-led approach to drugs. “Criminalising people who use drugs is stigmatising and unnecessary – we need to respond to possession with health interventions, not criminal sanctions.”
CEO of Merchants Quay Ireland Tony Geoghegan said the high rate of overdose deaths in Ireland was an “awful indictment on society”.
This is an awful indictment of society that so many lives are being lost needlessly. We urgently need the government to increase investment in vital services targeted at high-risk drug users.
Treatment
The report shows that heroin is the most common drug that users seek help for when entering treatment.
For first time-entrants, cannabis was the main drug users sought help for when entering treatment.
The number of people entering treatment for help with cocaine use has also increased.
In 2016, 2,381 people sought treatment for cannabis use; while 3,560 people sought treatment for heroin use.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Well done President Trump and President Putin.
@Steve Miller: and president Assad.
@Steve Miller: I’ll second that one!, well done President Trump!…
When will the refugees start going home?
@Steve Miller: 500k have already returned so far this year as the Syrian govt brings more areas under its control.
@Andy Brown: “440,000 internally displaced Syrians and about 31,000 of those who fled abroad have now come back”
Well done to Russia and Trump for putting an end to this war.
@Irreverent Reverend: Unbelievably premature statement. Ceasefires are notorious for breaking down in this region and in this war, it’s absolute madness to say that the war is over.
@Malachi:
Cutting off funding, weapon supplies and supply routes should help.
This conflict has gone on for too long.
@George Vladisavljevic: Where did you see anything about funding being cut?
The US and Russia have struck a tentative deal that seems to be holding, for now, in Southwest Syria. I don’t see anything that suggests the respective countries have abandoned their preferred factions in the region.
Even if they did do such a thing, there are far too many countries involved in this war for a US-Russia agreement to halt funding to any one side. Think of Turkey, Iran, etc. with interests they want to pursue in the region. This kind of thing has happened before and has broken down before.
I agree that it has gone on too long, but that’s hardly a controversial point.
@Malachi:
I believe that if the Russians and the Americans want a ceasefire to hold it will hold atleast for the groups that they back.
ISIS is a different matter, but if they both put pressure on them and their backers, the conflict could be ended relatively soon.
@George Vladisavljevic: As I said, there are more forces at work than just the Russians and Americans. We’ll see how it pans out – but you have to admit that proclaiming the war is over (after what is it, three major failed ceasefires already?) is premature to the extreme.
Not too concerned about the fight against ISIS, that’ll be done relatively soon. It’s the major divisions that still exist in Syria that are going to keep the conflict going between the opposition and Assad.
@Malachi:
I agree with you about other forces being involved and it would be nice to see the US and the Russians in working together to end the conflict. If they did, others such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and others would not have much choice but to stay out, that is if the US and Russia worked together in really wanting to stop the confkict.
US seems to be excepting that Assad will stay in power at least in some parts of Syria…..Departure from the insane Obama policy of regime change with millitary supplies to the so called moderate Sunni rebels…..With IS close to final defeat hopeful signs of end of 6 year Syrian war….
Good news. I can’t see the so called Caliphate playing any part in this though. Not a huge fan of the Russians or Americans but common sense prevailed here, the enemy is ISIS and groups mimicking them.
Only skimmed it but didn’t see a mention of Trump or Putin. AFP are more butthurt than redditors at this point it seems.
This is the action of a New World Order I can get behind!
They might as well there’s nothing left to fight for the whole country’s nearly destroyed.
@Dave Hogan: it’s strategic value will never be destroyed.
@Dave Hogan: that’s not even close to being true. Stop spouting rubbish you clearly don’t know anything about
Trump and Putin got it done. I don’t care who is responsible as long as it can hold off some suffering. Credit where credit is due. Hopefully it can be built upon.
Fake news. Assad warplanes still dropping bombs this morning
@Mr Scientist: The ceasefire covers the Southwest, and so far even rebel sources have said that it is holding. Don’t know where you saw that about Assad warplanes, do you have a link?
@Malachi: @worldonalert twitter. Videos of regine warplanes dropping bombs this morning in Ein Tarma.
@Mr Scientist: You lazy b0l0x. I couldn’t find any link that was less than 3 days old. I’ll have to discount your “facts” until you can provide evidence.
@Virtual Architect: are you incapable of scrolling through a timeline on Twitter. Several put up there today ya sap
@Mr Scientist: I saw a plume of smoke over a city allegedly recorded today, that’s about it. Not terribly convincing I must say. What videos did you see?
Also, why are the rebels not claiming that Assad has violated the ceasefire already? They immediately did so last time he did, in January. If the rebels are not saying Assad’s warplanes violated ceasefire, I’d be very skeptical he did.
@Malachi: what evidence are you basing on the ceasefire is holding? I’m following multiple accounts on Twitter with the people operating within syria saying the ceasefire talk is a joke. Rebels also not following it.
@Mr Scientist: http://www.euronews.com/2017/07/09/us-russian-ceasefire-deal-holding-in-southwest-syria
“A UK-based Syrian observer and several rebel groups in the area said calm was prevailing [...] witnesses reported no warplanes or significant fighting.”
I remember it being all over the media when Assad violated in in January, as I said. No such reports this time, and SOHR would definitely be all over it.
@Malachi: UK based syrian observer is a middle aged man sat in Coventry, I’d take that with a pinch of salt. Reason why violations were reported last time because US were not involved. Suddenly now there the ones to broker it with Russia and all western media outlets say it’s holding. Gimme a break..
@Mr Scientist: I don’t particularly trust SOHR, my point was that he’s pro-rebel and would definitely report on a ceasefire violation if it was all over twitter as you suggest.
US backed forces were involved when there was a major ceasefire attempt at the tail end of 2016. The ceasefire wasn’t brokered by the US that time, sure, but do you really think this is just completely flying under the radar of even pro-rebel sources like SOHR and rebel leadership, who haven’t said a peep?
I did see reports from a few journalists that there were skirmishes and bombings in the “de-escalation zones” set up by the Russians/Turks a while back, but that was before this ceasefire came into effect. No claims of violations within that period have been convincing.
have your say