Eight-year wait for drug misuse report

THE publication of a Health Research Board (HRB) report, warning of the continued misuse and possible fatal effects of prescription drugs for anxiety and depression, comes eight years after a governmental report recommended action on the issue.

Yesterday’s HRB report found that benzodiazepines — prescribed for anxiety and depression — are being widely abused and are a factor in 31% of drug-related deaths.

This is despite a Dáil committee report pledging to prevent misuse of the highly addictive legal drugs.