Focus
College Tribune November 17th 2009
7
Irish Drug habits
Of UCD students: 50% have tried cannabis 4% have tried heroin, 40% believe drug use is acceptable among students
The drugs don’t work Philip Connolly Reports in the past would have you believe that Dublin is a den of equity and students are particularly susceptible to the lure of the drugs trade. However, it turns out that the recent recession may have one positive effect after all. According to Sergeant Brian Roberts of the Garda National Drugs Unit, the current economic climate has adversely affected the Irish drug trade. The College Tribune spoke to Roberts about the clearing of the purple haze. “The fact people have less disposable income is causing a drop in some forms of drug con-
sumption,” maintains Roberts. Roberts says his unit has seen a decrease in recreational drug use. “Those who only used narcotics casually don’t have as much money so they don’t tend to buy as much as they would. It is a sad fact but the amount of drugs, such as cannabis or cocaine, sold tends to go up in boom times. Students would normally fall into this category.” However, this isn’t to say that attitudes towards drugs have necessarily changed. At the moment, it just appears to attitude toward the price. In an independent survey conducted by
l
Recession hitting drug trade
l
40% Students find drug use acceptable
the College Tribune last semester, 40% of students stated that they felt drug use was acceptable among students. Half of the student population has tried cannabis. This is compared to a national average of around 22%, which is the eighth highest rate in Europe. Roberts and his unit have looked at the effects of cannabis. “Is cannabis a gateway drug? Well in truth most people who try it won’t go on to use any other, more potent substances - you can see that in the statistics.” “However, it does remove many of the inhibiting factors. A person has already taken certain steps; such as consuming something illegal, often sourcing illegal drugs, and also consuming something that can alter you state of mind,” said Roberts. Cocaine presents a different problem, according to Roberts. “It is evident that there are two distinct profiles of cocaine user. Firstly, the social user who uses cocaine in conjunction with alcohol, ecstasy or cannabis, and secondly, the user who uses cocaine in conjunction with opiates. 61% of 223 crack cocaine users treated in 2007 also used opiates.” “One in every five cases treated for problem substance use between 2002 and 2007 reported cocaine as a problem drug. Cocaine is most often cited as an additional drug, most commonly used alongside opiates, alcohol or cannabis.” “The majority who reported cocaine as their main problem substance used it on two to six days per week, which would indicate that cocaine may be used as a weekend drug or as part of a binge,” stated Roberts In the College Tribune survey, only 4% of
UCD students admitted to using heroin when surveyed. In comparison with the 50% that admitted to smoking cannabis, it demonstrates that use of cannabis seldom led to the use of heroin. This is not to say that there is not a problem with heroin in wider society. It appears that the recession has not stopped Irelands heroin flow. For example, Mountjoy prison guards have stated that around 80% of prisoners use heroin, and they cite the drug as one of the main causes of crime in Irish society. “Heroin is one of the most addictive substances; it becomes a chemical addiction rather than a psychological one. It isn’t affected by the recession because those who take it often end up resorting to crime to support their habit. It would be rare enough among a student population,” explained Roberts. Ireland represents 1% of Europe’s “problem opiate users”, i.e. those addicted to heroin and other substances. The latest Irish figures indicate that there are between 13,405 and 15,819 people that could be termed problem opiate users in Ireland. Recent state reports related to drug consumption show that those treated for cocaine use were from a mix of social backgrounds, while treated opiate users tended to be from more deprived socioeconomic backgrounds. For example, the proportion of treated cocaine cases in employment was higher than that of treated opiate cases, 35% compared to 13%, and the proportion of treated cocaine cases that left school early was lower than that of treated opiate cases, 15% compared to 25%.
•
Ireland represents 1% of problem opiate users in Europe. The latest Irish figures indicate that there are between 13,405 and 15,819 problem opiate users in Ireland
•
In Ireland there is a higher than average increase of heroin seizures, with 660 seizures during 2003 compared to 1,698 in 2007
•
Frequent or heavy young alcohol users were twice as likely to use cannabis or cocaine; this is lower that the European average but may be explained by the higher proportion of frequent or heavy drinkers in the Irish population
•
70% of drug users entering treatment in 2008 reported problematic use of two or more drugs; this is higher than the reported experience across Europe
•
Amphetamine use in Ireland is uncommon and the proportion of adults who reported using amphetamines in the last year remained stable at 0.4%, when compared with the previous survey in 2002/2003
•
Three in every five cases treated for problem drug use between 2002 and 2007 reported an opiate, mainly heroin, as their main problem substance
•
One in every five cases treated for problem substance use between 2002 and 2007 reported cocaine as a problem drug