Cocaine has overtaken opioids as the biggest cause of illegal drug problems in Ireland, according to new research. The HRB recently told the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use that cocaine-related deaths more than doubled between 2017 and 2020. The state funded body said: “Cocaine was the most common drug reported in 2022, accounting for 34.0% of all cases”, up more than a quarter on 2021. “Cocaine was also the most common main drug among new cases in 2022, similar to the previous two years.”Data came from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System, a national surveillance programme that records cases of drug and alcohol treatment in Ireland. EverywherePsychiatrist and addiction specialist Professor Colin O’Gara said cocaine use was now a “public health crisis” and that the country appeared to be “in the middle of an epidemic of cocaine”.

Source: The Times June 30, 2023 10:24 UTC