Tranquilliser craze - We are awash with drugs

LIKE it or not, Ireland is awash with drugs.

The latest craze involves Valium and Xanax, tranquillising pills known on the street as “sweets” and “smarties”, an image that could hardly be less appropriate.

Apparently, only alcohol and cannabis are more popular among teenagers, with some running up huge bills to feed their craving for the highly addictive pills. That children as young as 14 are getting hooked on these drugs is frightening. Setting a pattern of addiction which will bedevil their young lives, the tranquillisers are available on prescription but are bought by teens on the streets for anything from 50 cent to €5 each.