Twelvefold increase in cocaine seizures

There has been a 1,200% increase in the number of cocaine seizures in Ireland in the past decade, it emerged today.

Figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) showed the number of seizures of the drug rose from 42 in 1995 to 566 in 2003.

The statistics were part of the European drugs agency’s (EMCDDA) Annual Report which points to an increase in cocaine use across the continent, fuelling concerns the drug is becoming the stimulant of choice for many young people.

Nearly 5% of young adults aged 15-34 in Ireland have tried cocaine at least once, a survey from 2002/2003 found.

There has also been a considerable increase in people seeking treatment for cocaine-related problems, rising from 83 in 1995 to 308 in 2003.

The number of treated cases for all drugs reported to the National Drug Treatment Reporting System has risen steadily from 6,048 in 1998 to 9,084 in 2003.

The Health Research Board attributed the rise to an increase in drug use, greater access to treatment services and an increase in the number of centres reporting cases.

There has also been a significant increase in the availability of drugs treatment in prisons in Ireland since 2001.

The EMCDDA found an increase across Europe of drugs law offences and Ireland has seen an upward trend in prosecutions for drug supply compared to possession offences.

But the annual report also said it is increasingly acknowledged prisoners have the same rights as the rest of the population concerning healthcare, including assistance and treatment for drug users.

While options for prisoners – particularly substituting drugs with medication - remain restricted, Ireland has recorded ‘considerable increases’ in the availability of such treatment in jail.

According to the HRB, there were 468 cases of prisoners who were prescribed methadone – the only substitution treatment available in Ireland – in December 2004.

The report also found there was a broad political consensus across Europe over diverting drug-using offenders from imprisonment to treatment, with the treatment option providing a more cost-efficient way of sentencing in countries with overcrowded prisons.

But the HRB said there was no evidence that alternative schemes, such as arrest referrals and a drugs court, were displacing the sanction of imprisonment.

And convicted Irish drug users, along with those from Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Norway, who are willing to begin treatment sometimes find it difficult to secure a place at a treatment centre, the report found.

The new EU drugs action plan 2005-2008 is calling on all member states to make effective use of and develop further alternatives to prison for drug abusers who commit drug-related offences.

EMCDDA director Wolfgang Gotz said: “Diverting drug-using offenders to treatment can contribute to reducing crime and other harms to society as well as to helping those with drug problems improve their health and social well-being.

“Adequate treatment facilities are essential to underpin this approach.

“But motivation on the part of the offender is also a vital component in making it a success,” he added.