Drug deaths - Scourge on streets must be tackled

The two deaths in Cork last week as a result of overdosing on heroin highlights the fact that the drug problems have not gone away.

Indeed, they are growing.

The fatal consequences of drug use are frequently attributed to the adulteration of the drug with some toxic material, but the two latest Cork deaths — along with another death in Dublin — were blamed on the high purity of the heroin used. Initial tests indicate that the heroin in Cork and Dublin was of a similar composition.