Drug overdosedeaths up by over 1,000%in last decade

DEATHS caused by drugs have increased by over 1,000% in Ireland in the last decade, according to figures released yesterday.

While drug-related deaths have subsided across the EU, Ireland has continued to buck the trend.

"Drug-related deaths have stabilised and in some cases decreased across the EU, yet Ireland is still experiencing increases, rising from seven in 1990 to 90 in 1999," said the annual report of the European Monitoring Committee on Drugs and Drug Addiction.