Drugs war must be fought locally

IN the wake of recent headlines about junior minister Noel Ahern going to Germany to look at new services for drug users, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that those involved in existing services are expressing serious concerns to him about the Government’s commitment to support those services that are already in place.

These concerns have been expressed by the chairpersons, co-ordinators and community representatives from local drug task forces and local community drug projects.

Through their involvement in the local drugs task force (LDTF) people have shown huge commitment to and belief in a community-led, partnership model of working to address the drugs issue.

The task forces have delivered on their brief and have resulted in real improvements in the lives of drug users, their families and communities. For us, this is the bottom line.

It is inexplicable therefore that the Government is now failing to deliver on a number of key commitments that are essential to the continuing effectiveness of the local drug task forces and the delivery of the drugs strategy.

Given the relatively small amount of financial expenditure involved, either the government no longer recognises the drugs crisis as a priority issue or it is no longer committed to a community-led, partnership approach to the problem. In either case it is a serious mistake.

The drugs crisis continues to devastate and destroy lives on a daily basis and must remain a priority issue.

It is the community-led partnership approach that has brought about improvements in services to date and this approach must be maintained.

We have an absolute commitment to continuing to work to improve the lives of people in our communities who are affected by drugs, but there is no benefit in continuing to participate in structures that do not have the capacity or resources to deliver for people on the ground.

It is in all our interests to ensure that a process which has worked so far, and is recognised as having done so by both independent evaluation and all the key players involved, should be endorsed and strengthened.

There are no indications that this is about to happen.

Tony McCarthy, David Connolly, LDTF Chairpersons Network;Hughie Greaves, LDTF Co-ordinators Network; Joan Byrne,Community Drug Projects Network;Fergus McCabeCommunity and Voluntary Reps,

National Drugs Strategy Team. John Bissett,Anna Quigley, Citywide Community Reps Network,

175, North Strand Road,

Dublin 1.