Organisation: Health Research Board

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>The study — led by the Health Research Board with experts from UCC, TCD, and the HSE — suggests the surge in cocaine-related hospital admissions is likely to be the 'tip of iceberg'</p>

news

Available, affordable, potent: Ireland is being hit by 'a perfect storm' of cocaine

A new HRB study links the availability, affordability, and purity of cocaine being trafficked into Ireland with a massive surge in cocaine-related admissions to hospitals

<p>The Health Research Board said there were significant decreases in deaths involving opioids (heroin and methadone), benzodiazepines (anxiety medication) and cocaine. File picture: Getty</p>

news

Fall in number of drug overdose deaths may be 'a phenomenon of the covid pandemic'

<p>US vice president Kamala Harris is now all but certain to become the Democratic Party's nominee for November's presidential election. Picture: Darron Cummings/AP</p>

ourview

Irish Examiner view: Social media will play major role in US presidential election

news

Treatment for alcohol abuse at highest level in more than a decade

Macro of oxycodone opioid tablets with prescription bottles against dark background

news

Ireland is the worst EU country for drug deaths, suffering four times the average fatality rate

Cocaine or other illegal drugs, white powder sprinkled from a bag on a dark table. Space for text.

news

200% rise in demand for cocaine addiction treatment since 2017

Green leaves of medicinal cannabis with extract oil

Medicinal cannabis study offers mixed findings on benefits

Department of Health reviewing current programme, which allows a consultant to prescribe a cannabis-based treatment for a patient under their care for a small number of conditions

Tue, 23 Jan, 2024

Conor Faughnan: A record year for road deaths due to political indifference

Ireland had made significant progress in terms of road safety but policies we knew were working have faltered for want of support

Mon, 04 Sep, 2023

Drug-debt enforcers 'terrorising families in every county'

Senior garda says people across every part of Irish society are being forced into sex work, forced to work as dealers, or forced to pay drug gangs hundreds of thousands of euro

Sun, 06 Aug, 2023

Alcohol treatment reverses recent trend with rise in 2022

Around a quarter of cases involved treatment for alcohol and at least one other drug

Tue, 01 Aug, 2023

Gambling addicted man with glasses in front of online casino slot machine on laptop computer at night

Fantasy leagues 'getting children ready for gambling in later life', warns expert

The Government’s Gambling Regulation Bill would give powers to Ireland’s first-ever gambling regulator, introduce strict curbs on advertising and create a social fund for problem gambling supports

Listen | Fri, 28 Jul, 2023

Crack cocaine treatment cases rise seven-fold in six years

Cases in almost every county, finds Health Research Board report

Tue, 20 Jun, 2023

Citizens' Assembly must seize opportunity to 'fix drugs crisis before it gets worse'

Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use chairman Paul Reid tells Security Correspondent Cormac O’Keeffe that the assembly needs to be ‘brave and informed’

Mon, 19 Jun, 2023

60% rise in elderly patients being prescribed codeine

Latest figures from the HSE show that 435,621 over-70s were prescribed codeine products last year through the three main public drug schemes

Mon, 05 Jun, 2023

Heroin treatment higher in poor areas, but opioid cases more prevalent among affluent

The Health Research Board study of over 46,000 cases between 2019 and 2021 found there were “substantially more” treatment episodes in disadvantaged areas than in affluent ones

Wed, 24 May, 2023

Watt rejects 'most of' report's findings on former CMO Holohan's secondment

Mr Watt also told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was not informed of key details relating to the secondment because his machine was hacked

Wed, 19 Apr, 2023

Drugs in the form of powder and tablets, a spoon and a syringe on a black background mockup

Cormac O'Keeffe: Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use has been given a mammoth task

As the Citizens’ Assembly gathers for the first time this weekend, Cormac O'Keeffe examines the big questions it proposes to tease out over just six weekends between now and October

Sat, 15 Apr, 2023

Outdoor portrait of worried and depressed senior man.

Number of deaths by suicide in Ireland may be far higher than official statistics record

‘Balance of probabilities’ model suggests 272 more people took their lives from 2015 to 2018 than coroners found to be 'beyond reasonable doubt'

Fri, 25 Nov, 2022

Tougher cannabis laws impact occasional users but not frequent drug takers

Actions of governments appear not to impact cannabis supply networks, which are thought to be more focused on frequent users, National Drugs Forum heard

Wed, 02 Nov, 2022

Fergus Finlay: Liberalising our alcohol laws is the populist policy we certainly do not need

Tánaiste brands a reasonable Sinn Féin proposal as populist — while he and his political partners unveil a bonkers policy that could upend progress on Ireland's problem drinking

Tue, 01 Nov, 2022

'Significant decline' in problem opioid use among young Irish adults, research finds

Researchers estimated there were 730 individuals aged 15-24 with problem opioid use in 2019

Thu, 13 Oct, 2022

Rise in number of admissions to psychiatric units and hospitals

There were 15,723 admissions last year, up 332 on the 2020 total, new report finds

Wed, 05 Oct, 2022

Vape teenager. Young pretty white girl in white cardigan smoking an electronic cigarette opposite destroyed brick wall on the st

Youngsters who vape five times more likely to start smoking

E-cigarettes 'no more effective' than medically approved and regulated nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches, at helping people stop smoking, report finds

Wed, 03 Aug, 2022

Cannabis report: Data shows it's the drug most commonly detected in roadside tests

Cited as the third most common main problem drug in Ireland, cannabis also accounts for 67% of all positive roadside drug tests

Tue, 02 Aug, 2022

'My son is vaping and he is so healthy, fitness-mad ... it’s so contradictory'

Despite its unknown health risks, many young people who would never consider smoking cigarettes are being drawn to cheaper, sweet-smelling vapes

Sun, 10 Jul, 2022

Scientist Woman Working In The CDC Laboratory For Covid-19

Long Covid mainly affects the brain, Oireachtas Health Committee told

One in five patients sufferering depression and anxiety.

Wed, 06 Jul, 2022

Family Driving In Open Top Car On Countryside Road Trip

Catherine Conlon: Why we must address raising of the backseat generation

Our children are trapped in the back seat of their parents' cars and losing independence. But it doesn't have to be this way, writes Catherine Conlon

Fri, 10 Jun, 2022

Half of gambling addicts also have a problem with substance abuse

Health Research Board's study of people seeking treatment for gambling addiction found that 53% also had problems with substances such as alcohol, cannabis, or cocaine

Thu, 09 Jun, 2022

'Significant gap' between need for alcohol treatment and services available

Alcohol Action Ireland said more than 500,000 people in Ireland were estimated to be drinking in a hazardous or harmful way but only 3,300 had entered alcohol treatment in 2020

Wed, 08 Jun, 2022

Covid payments allowed users to increase their drug use

Increased consumption as people turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with isolation

Thu, 02 Jun, 2022

Five-fold rise in crack cocaine cases since 2014

Data on parents in treatment show that almost one in 10 cases involve people who have children under the age of 17 at home

Tue, 20 Jul, 2021

Cocaine in plastic packet on black background

Cocaine use in Ireland 'has doubled since 2003'

LSD, amphetamines and other illegal substances are now more commonplace, particularly among young men

Thu, 01 Jul, 2021

Alcohol addiction 'draining Ireland of human potential'

People suffering alcohol addiction have 'come out of the woodwork' since the pandemic, Michael Guerin of the Cuan Mhuire addiction treatment centres said'

Fri, 16 Apr, 2021

Alcohol-related hospital discharges have doubled since mid-1990s

Major study from the Health Research Board shows the rise in liver disease cases has been 'most pronounced' among young people aged 15-34 and those aged over 65

Thu, 15 Apr, 2021

Treatment for cocaine trebles in just six years

Treatment for cocaine has trebled in the last six years, with “worrying” increases in crack cocaine cases.

Thu, 09 Jul, 2020

Antenatal course help women around the globe navigate a Covid-19 pregnancy

A new online antenatal course launched by Irish experts will help women across the world confidentially navigate a pregnancy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mon, 29 Jun, 2020

UCC's key role in WHO trial of potential Covid-19 treatments

University College Cork will play a leading role in Ireland's participation in the World Health Organisation's trial to evaluate potential Covid-19 treatments.

Fri, 26 Jun, 2020

UL President to resign over 'personal' Covid-19 concerns

Dr Des Fitzgerald, is to tender his resignation over personal concerns the coronavirus pandemic would “limit” his ability to fully perform the role.

Tue, 26 May, 2020

'I would not be alive today if it wasn't for cancer clinical trials'

Seamus Cotter was diagnosed with the most serious and life-threatening stage of lung cancer four years ago but beat the odds and survived the disease thanks to a clinical trial.

Wed, 20 May, 2020

Government announces 26 new Covid-19 research and innovation projects

The Government has announced 26 new Covid-19 research and innovation projects.

Wed, 29 Apr, 2020

Health Research Board mobilising 'rapid support' for coronavirus clinical trial

The Health Research Board says it is mobilising "rapid support" for a clinical trial among Irish patients in Intensive Care Units.

Wed, 01 Apr, 2020

Toxic gas can be released in some vaping products

Vaping can cause health-damaging chemical reactions, a new study from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland warns.

Wed, 11 Mar, 2020

Ground-breaking gene therapy used for first time in Ireland to treat haemophilia

Ground-breaking gene therapy has been used for the first time to treat a person with severe haemophilia in Ireland.

Thu, 05 Mar, 2020

Methadone patients four times more likely to overdose in month following treatment ending, study finds

Methadone patients are four times more likely to overdose in the month after their treatment ends, according to a new study.

Thu, 20 Feb, 2020

Teens warn of 'no escape' from cyberbullying - report

Victims of cyberbullying can become consumed by spiralling negative thoughts and can feel there is "no escape" from it, according to new research based on the views of young people here.

Tue, 18 Feb, 2020

In safe hands: Recognising communities’ ‘right’ to have a proper policing response

A change of mindset among Garda top brass is key if the force is to become a more community-focussed police service, better protecting areas ravaged by drugs and crime, write Security Correspondent Cormac O’Keeffe

Mon, 03 Feb, 2020

More needs to be done to stop 'devastating and preventable' drug deaths, support group says

The National Family Support Network said more needs to be done to stop the “devastating and preventable” deaths caused by drugs, which have continued to increase to new heights.

Sat, 01 Feb, 2020

Teens ‘budgeting for cocaine for their debs’

Teenagers are now budgeting for cocaine along with a dress or suit for their debs, a leading addiction therapist has claimed.

Mon, 20 Jan, 2020

A line too far: Cocaine at school dances

Last week’s grotesque discoveries, a casual murder at a student party and several crime-related shootings, must finally disabuse Ireland of the of the notion that this is an idyllic backwater immune to drug-related crime or violence.

Mon, 20 Jan, 2020

Average GP consultation lasts 14.1 minutes, study shows

A new pilot study of doctor visits has shown that the average duration of a consultation was 14.1 minutes, and that patients had an average time between consultations of 99 days.

Fri, 03 Jan, 2020