The gangland murders of the past fortnight have brought back “fear and terror” to a community already on its knees from cutbacks and neglect, the local drug task force has said.

Dangerous new chemicals being sold on the streets are being blamed for a spate of incidents in Dublin’s north inner city, which came to a head at the weekend in the murder of a father of two.

An awareness campaign is needed to correct the attitude that cannabis is relatively harmless, a drug taskforce has said.

The organisers of a pilot scheme designed to break the cycle of drug abuse and criminality among young people are seeking extra resources to extend the project.