Middle-class cocaine users line dealers’ pockets, says Fr Peter McVerry

• 5h ago

Homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has said the lion’s share of money made by drug dealers comes from middle-class people using cocaine.

The outspoken priest also warned that “drugs are here to stay” and are an “inevitable consequence of the way we live”.

Speaking to members of the Association of Catholics in Ireland on the subject “Where have all the young people gone?” he said: “The vast majority of drug dealers’ money comes from middle-class people who are using cocaine,” but he also expressed frustration over the lack of treatment services across the country for those coping with addiction.

“We can’t control the supply of drugs coming into this country – we are an open country; it is impossible to detect all the drugs coming in,” he said.

“But we can do something about the demand for drugs, and that means providing treatment on demand.

“Treatment services are very good, but very few. In many parts of the country, there is no treatment available. Even where treatment is available, there are long waiting lists. I think that is a disgrace.”

Making a distinction between problem drug users and non-problem drug users, Fr McVerry said: “Most of the people I deal with who are addicted are using drugs to drown out their memories of childhood, of traumatic experiences of abuse and violence.

“They use drugs because that is the only way they know how to cope with life.”

Describing addiction as “complex”, he believes it should be treated as a health problem with treatment rather than as a criminal justice problem, where people are arrested for possession of small amounts of drugs.

“That is what families do; if somebody discovers that their son or daughter is using drugs, they don’t immediately call the police.

“No, they see how they can get this person some treatment. I think that is what we need to do with addiction, consider people who use drugs as people in need of treatment and help, not as young criminals.”

Elsewhere in his discussion, the radical priest said he believes “parishes are dead” and are now “just administrative units of the church” while the days of “big Sunday masses” are over.

“I think the church of the future is going to be in small, little groups that come together to pray, to celebrate the Eucharist together, and to reach out to those in need.”

On the dearth of young people in the pews, he said young people need to see the church proclaiming a God of compassion and they “have to see the church reaching out to those on the margins”.

He said he would love to see parishes commit to having no Travellers living on the side of the road or living in overcrowded unhygienic halting sites in their areas and for bishops to make the treatment of Travellers or homeless children a priority in preaching and parish activities.