Fight against drug abuse needs dedicated minister, says Sinn Fein

A government minister dedicated to the fight against drug abuse is needed to help combat rocketing heroin use in Cork, Sinn Féin has warned.

The party’s TD for Cork North-Central, Jonathan O’Brien, told the Dáil that the responsibility for drugs policy was too widely distributed across departments and needed a focal point.

Mr O’Brien said he had been told by senior gardaí that there had been a recent spike in muggings and robberies in Cork, in part due to a growing drug problem.