The Drug Problem

Isn't it great to see middle Ireland's moral outcry over the recent spate of dodgy cocaine deaths? You can just see all the Range Rover-driving parents of south Dublin crying out about the druggies, unaware that Fionnán and Eva are burning holes in their noses with Daddy's pocket money. See reading a front page spread about a model that died tragically really takes it home to those who prefer to ignore what they see around them.

The problem with all the sudden publicity is that the outcome of all the 'Primetime Investigates’ shows, tabloid feeding frenzies and broadsheet editorials will be much the same as the solution to the heroin epidemic of the 80's/90's: an ironically quick fix. Patch it up and wait for it to explode again. The government policy for dealing with the heroin problem in Ireland was a widespread methadone treatment programme which admittedly did help drive down drug-related personal crime. But the problem was (and still is) that there were no resources given to treatment centres, or to the social reasons why people become addicts. The current number of residential beds available in Dublin to an estimated 14,500 heroin addicts is a shockingly small 200.

So imagine a heroin addict who has a revelation one day and decides to go clean. He calls into a treatment centre and is told that he'll have to wait about a year before a bed becomes available. What chance does this fella have? None. Well maybe a slight one because there's a massive 28 detox beds too. Wexford Town has one of the highest per-capita heroin addictions in the country, yet to receive methadone a user has to travel to Waterford City. This is due to "respectable" pharmacies that would rather flog Vitamin C tablets and self-tanner than actual medicine. Now what happens when the gardai (who have been blatantly ignoring the issue) start to clamp down on cocaine users - they'll go looking for beds that aren't there too.

From what I saw of the Primetime documentary last night it was another gloriously spurned chance to investigate the social issues that surround drug addiction, and instead a focus on the gangs and the mules that are flooding our country with coke. Why does no-one ever look at the societal reasons: we're a cocky, self-sure and young nation with money to burn and fun to be had? Or the community issues, where the easiest way to forget the shitbox you live in is to get high and have fun. To address the problems you have to look at the cause first and the result last.

But sure what do I know, I'm not a TD who needs to win votes and not embarrass the parents who can give them.