ALCOHOL abuse is a “serious social problem” and a “gateway” to the abuse of other substances, the new drugs minister has said.

COMMUNITY drug groups have welcomed the appointment of Roisín Shortall as a minister responsible for drugs.

A GARDA pilot project aimed at combating intimidation of families by drug dealers is due to be launched in December.

UNDERAGE youths could be sent into pubs, off-licences and shops to see if they can purchase alcohol, under draft proposals for a new drugs strategy.

THERE are no researchers currently employed on the National Advisory Committee on Drugs – a body set up to conduct research with a view to advising the Government on policy in the area.

A LEADING drugs body has expressed alarm at the Government’s decision to leave the National Drugs Strategy (NDS) without a junior minister to implement it.

Five British soldiers have been killed by a rogue Afghan policeman, British and Afghan officials said today.

FAMILIES and gardaí will meet next week to begin drawing up a plan to combat intimidation of communities by drug gangs.

FAMILY doctors could take 1,000 drug addicts off treatment waiting lists if they were allowed treat more people, a leading GP has said.

MOST of us are happy enough to accept that drug abuse is a growing problem, but at the same time we don’t pay it too much attention as it does not impinge on our lives.

THE effectiveness of the country’s main drugs education programme for schools has been seriously questioned in the new National Drugs Strategy (NDS).

THE Government’s decision to combine alcohol with illegal drugs in one strategy reflected the reality on the ground, Minister of State John Curran said yesterday.

CLEAN needles are still not available to drug users across most of the country, risking the spread of infectious diseases, a report has warned.

SCHOOLS, parents and even teachers are having to pay to get experts into classrooms to talk to students about drugs, a Dáil committee heard yesterday.

ALMOST €2 million was allocated to about 30 projects addressing cocaine use or providing rehabilitation services to recovering drug addicts.

A GOVERNMENT working group has called for an integrated framework in the fight against alcohol and illegal drug abuse, but has stopped short of recommending one combined strategy for both substances.

Amnesty International urged Nato nations today to halt transfers of prisoners to Afghan authorities, claiming they risked being tortured.

THE Labour Party yesterday pledged to invest €2 billion into a special programme to combat urban disadvantage.

A SECOND member of the State’s National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST) has criticised the Government’s poor response to the problem of illegal drugs.

THE Government has spent almost €173 million on combating illegal drugs over the past eight years, it emerged yesterday.

IRELAND spends the fifth most in the EU in dealing with illegal drugs, according to a new survey.

Fears have been expressed of a possible BSkyB shareholder backlash following the appointment of James Murdoch as the company’s new chief executive.