Ireland second for drug-related deaths

IRELAND has the second highest number of drug-related deaths in the European Union, according to a report.

Ireland has 68 deaths per million people, more than three times the EU average (21). Estonia has by far the highest rate (146). In western Europe, rates range from 8 per million in France, 12 in the Netherlands, 14 in Germany and 58 in Britain.

The 2011 annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, (EMCDDA) found that data for drug-related deaths in most countries are underestimated.