Adequate funding to allow for early intervention and an increase in detox beds around the country is an absolute necessity if Ireland is to combat its growing drug problem, a seminar in Cork heard last night.
"Putting young people into prison for drug offences will not solve the problem; they only learn more about harder drugs and how to use them while they are in there.
"We need to start tackling this problem at an earlier age if we are to have any real effect," said Tony O'Carroll, a Clare-based drug and alcohol counsellor and awareness outreach officer.
Mr O'Carroll was the main guest speaker at a public information seminar organised by the Matt Talbot Adolescent Services proactive strategy section in Cork last night.
He highlighted the clear link between cannabis use and mental disorders such as psychosis and paranoia.
He warned that this "gateway drug" often led to heroin use, despite the perception among young people that it was as harmless as tobacco.
Mr O'Carroll said many secondary school pupils were also experimenting with ecstasy, and solvent abuse was becoming a more worrying and dangerous problem.
The abuse of prescription drugs, in particular Valium, was also an increasing problem, according to Mr O'Carroll, who pointed out that it was used to "bring them down" after taking cocaine so their parents wouldn't notice that they were high.
"In Limerick last year, there was a disco organised after the Junior Cert in a marquee. The kids couldn't bring booze in because they were being searched, but there were D5s and D10s [ diazepam is the trade name for Valium and it comes in 5mg and 10mg] being passed around all over the place," he said.
With only 24 drug detox beds in Ireland - all based in Dublin, where there are an estimated 13,000 heroin addicts - Mr O'Carroll highlighted the need for an increase in detox beds around the country and in particular for a detox centre for minors attached to the Matt Talbot service in Cork.
The secretary of the Matt Talbot proactive strategy section, Caitríona Twomey, called for HSE funding for a detox facility to fill a major gap in services in Cork city. She said new services were needed to replace the current system of home detoxification, which was not always successful.
