Drugs strategy - Child drug use terrifying development

For years the drug scourge was seen as just a Dublin problem, but it has since spread throughout the country.

The Matt Talbot Adolescent Service (MTAS), which caters for 14 to 23 year olds in Cork city, reported in 2006 that the youngest people referred to it for drug treatment were 12 year olds. This year, however, children as young as eight years of age are showing the onset of drug use.

That eight year olds are using drugs in Cork city should be seen as a truly appalling development. The problem is compounded by an alarming trend that younger addicts are showing signs of violent criminal behaviour. Children are smoking heroine and using cocaine, Valium or Xanax, along with alcohol. Many of the youthful drug offenders have begun carrying weapons to defend themselves against drug dealers to whom they owe money.