By Louise WalshA constant "battle" for funding has led to the closure of a 30-year old award-winning national drug prevention and advisory service, at a time when its founder says that teenagers as young as 14 are using heroin. Founder of the national Aisling Group charity in Navan, Co Meath, Marie Byrne says the closure comes as drug use reaches 'epidemic proportions' in Ireland. The internationally acclaimed addiction counsellor says children of 11 years old are now binge drinking while teenagers are using heroin from 14 or even younger. [quote]"Teenagers as young as 14 are now using heroin and children of 11 years old are binge drinking, both in Meath and across the country. "Only 22 of these beds are for teenagers at a time when drug use in parts of the country are at epidemic rates.

Source: Evening echo March 27, 2018 10:52 UTC