epidemic | 

Ireland’s coke problem means even sports people prefer to take it over alcohol, TDs warn

‘Cocaine has now gazumped all other types of behaviour and is now the accepted normal drug of choice’

Yesterday at 18:05

Ireland is in the middle of a cocaine epidemic where even young sports people prefer to take the drug rather than alcohol, a number of TDs have warned.

The Kerry Fine Gael Deputy Brendan Griffin said taking the drug every Friday or Saturday night is now the norm among some young people he has spoken in his constituency.

He revealed: “That is bonkers to me as someone who is nearly 20 years ahead of them in the life cycle.

“All forms of substance abuse must be called out. What worries me is the normalisation of cocaine use we have seen in recent years.

“Certainly when I was that age the idea that using recreational drugs might be normal was completely off the charts.

“But it is now accepted as normal and it is a ticking time bomb.

“Cocaine has now gazumped all other types of behaviour and is now the accepted normal drug of choice.”

The Dundalk Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O Murchu claimed some young people involved in sport prefer to take cocaine than alcohol.

He stated: “The fact is that when we talk about cocaine we are dealing with a cocaine pandemic. The place is absolutely littered with it.

“Some young people who are involved in sport prefer to take cocaine than alcohol. Others think cocaine is the means by which they think by they can continue to drink for three days in a slightly more presentable way.

“We all know that some people will run into serious issues long before health issues arise.

“There will be a knock on the door and the rest of it.

“Drug dealing is happening on every street corner and we know it can’t be policed out.”

The backbenchers had demanded a new Government approach to dealing with cocaine in parliamentary questions.

Drugs Minister Hildegard Naughten said less than seven per cent of the population had ever used cocaine.

Some 2pc had used coke in the past year. In 2022 4,084 cases were treated for cocaine use .

That is an increase of 800 or 26pc on the previous year. Cocaine accounts for 34pc of all drug treatment cases.

She warned: “Cocaine can cause a range of acute health related problems and even sudden death.

“It is highly risky for anybody with high blood pressure or a heart condition.

“Even perfectly healthy young people can have a fit or heart attack from consuming too much cocaine.

“Repeated sniffing of cocaine powder irritates the nose and can cause a breakdown of nasal cartilage.”

The Minister said she recently allocated for the very first time a 1.5 million euro drug education funding scheme plus another 500,000 for cocaine services.

The HSE has also been allocated 130 million to fund addiction services.

She added: “I want to increase the education and open honest conversations are needed .

“It is not only those who are in addiction and going into the vicious circle of the criminal justice system who use cocaine.

“Some people take drugs on a Friday or Saturday night because they enjoy them. We need to raised awareness about the health and safety aspects of that.

The conversation will really start when the Citizens Assembly reports on the drugs issue.”