Health authorities are to place adverts in the toilets of pubs and nightclubs aimed at highlighting the negative aspects of cocaine use following a rise in the use of the drug among younger people.
Research suggests new cocaine users see the drug as "clean" and "acceptable" and are attracted by claims that it has minimal health effects.
However, the campaign will illustrate the "stark facts" about the psychological, physical, sexual and financial problems associated with using cocaine as a recreational drug.
The core message of the advertising campaign will be that "there is no fairytale ending with cocaine", and will use nursery rhyme characters such as Jack and Jill and Georgie Porgie in its adverts.
Research shows cocaine is used most among 15- to 24-year-olds. Dr Des Corrigan, chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, said it was time to take steps to prevent its reach deepening further.
"The perception that cocaine is a safe drug needs to be corrected now before the use of what is an addictive poison grows any further," Dr Corrigan said.
"This is especially the case as cocaine overdoses are unpredictable and combining cocaine with other drugs, particularly alcohol, is highly risky.
"There are also risks associated with injection and the sharing of snorting and smoking equipment."
While around 3 per cent of the adult population surveyed in recent research said it had used cocaine, this figure rose to 5.1 per cent among 15- to 24-year-olds.
The regional spread of cocaine users, based on Garda and health statistics, indicates that use of cocaine is not just a Dublin or urban phenomenon. The cost of the drug has decreased substantially in recent years.
The campaign will feature advertisements placed in toilets as well as on beer mats and free postcards over the next six months. Print advertisements will also be placed in selected national newspapers and magazines. A 2001 study on cocaine used in Ireland suggested there was increased availability of drugs in nightclubs and pubs.
The campaign also includes a special website on cocaine, www.drugsinfo.ie, which explains in detail the negative effects of cocaine use.
