A plague of drugs is raging out of control, warns Archbishop
Frontline workers tackle crack cocaine ‘tsunami’
ARCHBISHOP Dermot Farrell has warned that Dublin is in the midst of a crack cocaine ‘epidemic’ and the normalisation of drugs has become a major societal issue.
It comes as frontline workers say there is a ‘tsunami’ of the addictive drug use across the capital and in other parts of the country.
During his First Sunday of Advent homily, Archbishop Farrell told parishioners that Dublin is experiencing a plague of drugs which is raging out of control.
‘The daily news fills us with tales of oppression and poverty, and even in the midst of the pandemic, another “epidemic” – that of crack cocaine and the violence that follows in its wake,’ he said.
‘The causes of the crack cocaine epidemic we are experiencing in this city, and more widely across the country, are complex and deep seated, but I believe, based on the goodwill and the many dedicated efforts of community groups, Government and religious leaders, that these causes can be addressed and the plague of drugs, which rages out of control, can be effectively addressed if we all work together.
‘It is a societal issue and societal issues require a societal response.’
According to a recent Health Research Board report, a total of 2,619 cases were treated for problem cocaine use in 2020, more than three times the number of cases reported in 2014 (853 cases).
While men continue to account for most cocaine treatment cases, the proportion of women seeking help for cocaine has increased from 17% in 2014 to 21% in 2020.
And for the first time, cocaine was more common than alcohol and benzodiazepines as an additional problem drug.
Archbishop Farrell added that the ‘normalisation’ of drugs culture is a major issue in Irish society.
‘For some people taking drugs has become as normal as having a drink. We cannot think of any group as “others” but rather we truly are fratelli tutti, as Pope Francis put it – all brothers and sisters inextricably connected to each other. If we lose that sense of interconnectedness, we also lose our sense of compassion, empathy and responsibility for each other,’ he said.
The Dublin Archbishop added that the solution to the current drugs problem does not lie only in stemming the flood of illegal drugs, dismantling the drug gangs, more effective policing and investment in historically disadvantaged areas.
‘It’s also a matter of character,’ he said. ‘The real response is not just a better drugs [prevention] programme, but a willingness to journey with the families whose members are ensnared by unscrupulous peddlers of drugs, peddlers of death.
‘There are people in this city, in the Church, in our schools, in our estates and in our families who are committed to the care of those afflicted by drugs,’ the Church leader added.
‘Such lives, marked by a striving to minister to those caught in the cycle of addiction, and to the little ones, testify that Christ and his Kingdom are close to us, and that the Lord has not abandoned his people.’
Earlier this month, a report commissioned by the Tallaght Drugs and Alcohol Task Force found that one third of those seeking help for addiction in the Tallaght-Whitechurch area are women.
Those working in addiction services believe they are only meeting 25% of demand and the
‘Causes can be addressed’ ‘Taking drugs has become normal’
problem is pulling families and the community apart.
Project worker with the Community Addiction Response Programme in the area, Debbie McDonald, said the drug is rampant.
‘It’s causing absolute mayhem in the community,’ she said.
‘There are very few families that are not affected by drug use, but this one is a little bit different because of the harm that it causes. It is a lot quicker to take a person. It takes their soul.’
Limerick is also said to have a major crack cocaine problem.
Ana Liffey Drug Project chief executive Tony Duffin said last week that the charity provided 1,433 sterile crack pipes in Dublin since 2020, while around 4,600 have been distributed in Limerick over the same period.