Response to heroin crisis ‘repeating old mistakes’

GOVERNMENT officials have been accused of repeating the mistakes of Dublin’s 1980s heroin epidemic by failing to tackle the massive surge in cases in Cork over the past five years.

Since 2004, the number of heroin-related incidents in the city has jumped by more than 400%, reaching 159 drug finds last year.

The situation, highlighted by the Irish Examiner, reached national attention after four suspected deaths from heroin in the city since the start of June alone and a 200% rise in the number of people seeking treatment for the addiction last year.