Illicit drug use in Ireland
Encyclopedia
Illicit drug use in Ireland has been growing since the mid 1970s. The use by young people of psychedelic drug
s, including LSD and cannabis
, was recognized at that time. Opiate
abuse was uncommon until the 1980s, following events in the opium production centres of Afghanistan
and Iran
. Government task forces and private programmes were formed to tackle increased opiate abuse. Dublin has been a centre of increased heroin use and preventative efforts. Studies confirmed significant opiate use in the 1990s, when action to reduce harm
caused by drug use became favoured. Programmes focussed on controlling the spread of HIV
, seen as a greater social threat than drug abuse itself.
has always centred on Dublin, and to a lesser extent Cork
city. Heroin abuse became a major problem in inner-city Dublin in the late 1970s. Earlier, there was no evidence of anything more than isolated use of heroin. In December 1968, the Minister for Health, Seán Flanagan
, established a working party to investigate the extent of drug abuse at the time and to advise the government. Their research, reported in 1971, could not find any evidence of significant use of heroin, which they attributed to the difficulty of obtaining supplies at the time. Drug use was limited mostly to cannabis and LSD. These drugs were seen as part of student sub-culture; Dr. Hugh Byrne
, a TD
debating what was to be the 1977 Misuse of Drugs Act
, described Trinity College Dublin as "a nest and a hive for the production of LSD [...] leaflets containing the formula of LSD have been freely sold around the campus". He blamed this activity on foreign students in areas of "advanced study"
The main treatment centre for drug users was at Jervis Street Hospital
. The National Drug Advisory and treatment Centre was founded there in 1969. In 1973, the Coolmine therapeutic community was founded as a voluntary body to provide a structure for people to "maintain a drug-free existence".
In 1979, there was a dramatic increase in the supply of heroin to Western Europe, usually attributed to the fall of the Shah in Iran
and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
. This marked the start of an epidemic in inner-city Dublin.
Following this report, the government created a Special Governmental Task Force on Drug Abuse in April 1983. Their report recommended funding community facilities in deprived areas, but this was at odds with government policy at the time, so the report went unpublished. The government's position was that drug abusers were victims of their own choices, rather than their socio-economic circumstances. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1984 was enacted to provide for tougher punishments than the 1977 Act.
The 1980s also saw the rise of community groups which organised themselves to rid their local areas of drugs. Priests, politicians and even Provisional IRA members took part in residents' associations in areas of Dublin such as Fatima Mansions
, the Hardwicke Street flats, St. Teresa's Gardens, and Dolphin House. Groups met to name and shame drug dealers, giving them the choice either to stop dealing or leave the area. Actions broadened to include patrols by residents, checkpoints to search vehicles for drugs, forced evictions, and other vigilante
actions. These local groups got together and adopted a constitution in February 1984, naming themselves "Concerned Parents Against Drugs".
The Drug Treatment Centre Board moved to Trinity Court in 1988 following the closure of Jervis Street hospital.
The most significant event of the decade was the arrival of the HIV/AIDS epidemic
to Ireland. The first diagnosed case of AIDS was in 1982. Early cases before 1987 were found in homosexual men, this soon spread to intravenous drug users, overtaking cases amongst homosexual men. A survey by the Department of Health in 1986 found that 30% of intravenous drug users were HIV positive.
. This different approach recognised that the harms of drug use, such as the spread of HIV, were of a greater danger to society than drug use itself. Harm reduction was implemented in the form of methadone maintenance and needle exchange programmes.
The first needle exchange opened in 1989 and there were about eleven others by the end of the 1990s. There are now plans to offer needle exchange services at pharmacies.
s exist and are legal in Ireland, and were reported by authorities to be opening at a rate of one per week in January 2010. Some of the shops are open 24 hours a day, serving through a hatch at night. The legality of the shops was discussed in Seanad Éireann
that month, with an all-party motion being passed requesting the Government to introduce legislation to regulate the sale of products. One head shop in Roscommon
received objections from residents two weeks after opening for business that month.
Head shops received a lot of media attention in 2010, with one doctor describing on the television programme, Prime Time
, patients of his who suffered hallucinations, anxiety and psychosis after experiencing "legal highs" party powders from head shop substances. Politicians weighed in, with Chris Andrews
in favour of outlawing head shops while Jim McDaid
said this would be a "huge mistake" which would allow illegal street dealers to thrive. There was controversy and irony when a judge renowned for his strict anti-drug sentencing discovered that a premises he had rented to a business in Naas
contained a head shop, and evicted the operator.
, as one of Dublin's busiest streets was evacuated. A second head shop burned down on 16 February 2010 in Dublin. On 10 March 2010, two pipe bombs were found outside two separate head shops in Athlone, and Garda
bomb disposal experts closed two main streets in the town. The attacks were later traced to disgruntled drug dealers.
Another burned down on 11 March 2010 in Sligo
, and an adult shop
also caught fire. On 16 April 2010 in Dundalk
, County Louth
, a head shop was set alight in a petrol bomb attack. The county is home to then Minister for Justice
Dermot Ahern and hours later plans for legislation for regulation of head shops got underway.
On 28 March 2010, vigilante
group Republican Action Against Drugs
(RAAD) claimed responsibility for planting an explosive device outside a head shop in Letterkenny
, County Donegal
. It was made safe by the security forces. RAAD issued a statement that it was the "first and only warning" the shop would receive; the head shop closed shortly afterwards.
to seek court orders to close head shops suspected of selling drug-like products, with the onus on the owners to prove they are not doing so.
Following this legislation, the number of head shops declined dramatically from 112 to just 12.
Psychedelic drug
A psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception. Psychedelics are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes related substances such as dissociatives and deliriants...
s, including LSD and cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, was recognized at that time. Opiate
Opiate
In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant.-Overview:Opiates are so named because they are constituents or derivatives of constituents found in opium, which is processed from the latex sap of the opium poppy,...
abuse was uncommon until the 1980s, following events in the opium production centres of Afghanistan
Opium production in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been the greatest illicit opium producer in the entire world, ahead of Burma and the "Golden Triangle" since 1992, excluding the year 2001. Afghanistan is the main producer of opium in the "Golden Crescent". Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since U.S....
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Government task forces and private programmes were formed to tackle increased opiate abuse. Dublin has been a centre of increased heroin use and preventative efforts. Studies confirmed significant opiate use in the 1990s, when action to reduce harm
Harm reduction
Harm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
caused by drug use became favoured. Programmes focussed on controlling the spread of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, seen as a greater social threat than drug abuse itself.
1970s
Heroin use in IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
has always centred on Dublin, and to a lesser extent Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
city. Heroin abuse became a major problem in inner-city Dublin in the late 1970s. Earlier, there was no evidence of anything more than isolated use of heroin. In December 1968, the Minister for Health, Seán Flanagan
Seán Flanagan
Seán Flanagan was an Fianna Fáil politician and Gaelic footballer in Ireland. He served under Taoiseach Jack Lynch as Minister for Health and Minister for Lands .-Early life and education:...
, established a working party to investigate the extent of drug abuse at the time and to advise the government. Their research, reported in 1971, could not find any evidence of significant use of heroin, which they attributed to the difficulty of obtaining supplies at the time. Drug use was limited mostly to cannabis and LSD. These drugs were seen as part of student sub-culture; Dr. Hugh Byrne
Hugh Byrne (Fine Gael)
Hugh Byrne is a former Fine Gael politician from Dublin, Ireland. He was a Teachta Dála for 13 years.He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt, at the 1969 general election, when he won a seat in the 19th Dáil as a TD for the Dublin North West constituency...
, a TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
debating what was to be the 1977 Misuse of Drugs Act
Misuse of Drugs Act (Ireland)
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984, and the Criminal Justice Act 2010 are the acts of the Oireachtas regulating drugs in Ireland...
, described Trinity College Dublin as "a nest and a hive for the production of LSD [...] leaflets containing the formula of LSD have been freely sold around the campus". He blamed this activity on foreign students in areas of "advanced study"
The main treatment centre for drug users was at Jervis Street Hospital
Jervis Street Hospital, Dublin
Jervis Street Hospital was a former hospital in Dublin, Ireland, that became part of Beaumont Hospital, which was completed in 1987. The site of the hospital became the Jervis Shopping Centre.-History:...
. The National Drug Advisory and treatment Centre was founded there in 1969. In 1973, the Coolmine therapeutic community was founded as a voluntary body to provide a structure for people to "maintain a drug-free existence".
In 1979, there was a dramatic increase in the supply of heroin to Western Europe, usually attributed to the fall of the Shah in Iran
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. This marked the start of an epidemic in inner-city Dublin.
1980s
The number of heroin users in Dublin continued to grow in the early 1980s. The 1983 Bradshaw Report found that in north central Dublin, 10% of 15–24 year olds had used heroin in the previous year; the figure was 12% for 15–19 year olds, and 13% for females of the same age group. The report also confirmed Dublin as a centre for heroin use, with only three or four heroin users in Cork and Galway.Following this report, the government created a Special Governmental Task Force on Drug Abuse in April 1983. Their report recommended funding community facilities in deprived areas, but this was at odds with government policy at the time, so the report went unpublished. The government's position was that drug abusers were victims of their own choices, rather than their socio-economic circumstances. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1984 was enacted to provide for tougher punishments than the 1977 Act.
The 1980s also saw the rise of community groups which organised themselves to rid their local areas of drugs. Priests, politicians and even Provisional IRA members took part in residents' associations in areas of Dublin such as Fatima Mansions
Fatima Mansions (housing)
Fatima Mansions is an extensive public housing complex located in Rialto, Dublin. In recent years it has undergone a substantial urban renewal programme with the assistance of public and private funding.All existing apartment blocks were demolished to make way for 600 accommodation units,...
, the Hardwicke Street flats, St. Teresa's Gardens, and Dolphin House. Groups met to name and shame drug dealers, giving them the choice either to stop dealing or leave the area. Actions broadened to include patrols by residents, checkpoints to search vehicles for drugs, forced evictions, and other vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
actions. These local groups got together and adopted a constitution in February 1984, naming themselves "Concerned Parents Against Drugs".
The Drug Treatment Centre Board moved to Trinity Court in 1988 following the closure of Jervis Street hospital.
The most significant event of the decade was the arrival of the HIV/AIDS epidemic
AIDS pandemic
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome pandemic is a widespread disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus .Since AIDS was first recognized in 1981, it has led to the deaths of more than 25 million people, making it one of the most destructive diseases in recorded history.Despite recent...
to Ireland. The first diagnosed case of AIDS was in 1982. Early cases before 1987 were found in homosexual men, this soon spread to intravenous drug users, overtaking cases amongst homosexual men. A survey by the Department of Health in 1986 found that 30% of intravenous drug users were HIV positive.
1990s
There were an estimated 13,460 opiate users in Ireland in 1996. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ireland was most active among intravenous drug users. Treatment in centres such as Trinity Court required a commitment from the patient to achieve abstinence from drugs. In light of the HIV epidemic, this policy was revised in 1992 to one of harm reductionHarm reduction
Harm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
. This different approach recognised that the harms of drug use, such as the spread of HIV, were of a greater danger to society than drug use itself. Harm reduction was implemented in the form of methadone maintenance and needle exchange programmes.
The first needle exchange opened in 1989 and there were about eleven others by the end of the 1990s. There are now plans to offer needle exchange services at pharmacies.
Head shops
Head shopHead shop
A head shop is a retail outlet specializing in drug paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis, other recreational drugs, legal highs, legal party powders and New Age herbs, as well as counterculture art, magazines, music, clothing, and home decor; some head shops also sell oddities, such as...
s exist and are legal in Ireland, and were reported by authorities to be opening at a rate of one per week in January 2010. Some of the shops are open 24 hours a day, serving through a hatch at night. The legality of the shops was discussed in Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
that month, with an all-party motion being passed requesting the Government to introduce legislation to regulate the sale of products. One head shop in Roscommon
Roscommon
Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...
received objections from residents two weeks after opening for business that month.
Head shops received a lot of media attention in 2010, with one doctor describing on the television programme, Prime Time
Prime Time
Prime Time is an Irish news analysis, current affairs and politics programme. It is broadcast on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights between 21:30 and 22:10. It is currently presented by Miriam O'Callaghan, who has presented the programme since its commencement in 1996...
, patients of his who suffered hallucinations, anxiety and psychosis after experiencing "legal highs" party powders from head shop substances. Politicians weighed in, with Chris Andrews
Chris Andrews (politician)
Chris Andrews is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 2007 to 2011.-Family:He is the grandson of Todd Andrews, a leading figure in the early days of Fianna Fáil...
in favour of outlawing head shops while Jim McDaid
Jim McDaid
James "Jim" McDaid is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician and medical doctor. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal North East constituency from June 1989 until he resigned in November 2010.-Early life:...
said this would be a "huge mistake" which would allow illegal street dealers to thrive. There was controversy and irony when a judge renowned for his strict anti-drug sentencing discovered that a premises he had rented to a business in Naas
Naas
Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...
contained a head shop, and evicted the operator.
Attacks on head shops
A Dublin head shop exploded and caught fire on 12 February 2010, engulfing a neighbouring building in fire and the surrounding streets and quays in smoke, causing Capel Street to be closed for the day. The blaze levelled two other businesses including a sex shopSex shop
A sex shop, erotic shop is a shop that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, clothing, pornography, and other related products...
, as one of Dublin's busiest streets was evacuated. A second head shop burned down on 16 February 2010 in Dublin. On 10 March 2010, two pipe bombs were found outside two separate head shops in Athlone, and Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
bomb disposal experts closed two main streets in the town. The attacks were later traced to disgruntled drug dealers.
Another burned down on 11 March 2010 in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, and an adult shop
Sex shop
A sex shop, erotic shop is a shop that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, clothing, pornography, and other related products...
also caught fire. On 16 April 2010 in Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, a head shop was set alight in a petrol bomb attack. The county is home to then Minister for Justice
Minister for Justice
The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice, commonly referred to as the Justice Secretary, is a cabinet position in the Scottish Government...
Dermot Ahern and hours later plans for legislation for regulation of head shops got underway.
On 28 March 2010, vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
group Republican Action Against Drugs
Republican Action Against Drugs
Republican Action Against Drugs is a vigilante group active mainly in the Derry, Strabane and Newry areas of Northern Ireland. It targets those whom it claims are drug dealers...
(RAAD) claimed responsibility for planting an explosive device outside a head shop in Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. It was made safe by the security forces. RAAD issued a statement that it was the "first and only warning" the shop would receive; the head shop closed shortly afterwards.
2010 legislation
Many head shop products became illegal in Ireland on 23 August 2010 when the new Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010 became law. The Act empowered GardaíGarda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
to seek court orders to close head shops suspected of selling drug-like products, with the onus on the owners to prove they are not doing so.
Following this legislation, the number of head shops declined dramatically from 112 to just 12.
See also
- Misuse of Drugs Act (Ireland)Misuse of Drugs Act (Ireland)The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984, and the Criminal Justice Act 2010 are the acts of the Oireachtas regulating drugs in Ireland...
- Republican Action Against DrugsRepublican Action Against DrugsRepublican Action Against Drugs is a vigilante group active mainly in the Derry, Strabane and Newry areas of Northern Ireland. It targets those whom it claims are drug dealers...
- Direct Action Against DrugsDirect Action Against DrugsDirect Action Against Drugs was a vigilante group in Northern Ireland that claimed responsibility for the killing of a number of alleged drug dealers...
- Head shops in Ireland
- Luke 'Ming' FlanaganLuke 'Ming' FlanaganLuke 'Ming' Flanagan is an Irish independent politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency at the 2011 general election. He was previously a county councillor and Mayor of County Roscommon...