DRUG PLAN TO TACKLE SCOURGE OF HEROIN

More Treatment Places For Drug Addicts And Extra Garda Resources Are Key
Features Of A New National Drugs Strategy Unveiled Yesterday.

Junior Minister Eoin Ryan who is responsible for the plan said heroin was
still almost exclusively a Dublin problem although drugs and under-age
drinking were emerging as issues throughout the country.

He said that the estimate of 13,000 heroin addicts in Dublin was out of
date and that he hoped to have hard data on the true extent of the problem
by the end of the year.

Mr Ryan pointed out that the price of heroin had tumbled to pounds 20 "per
wrap" from a high of pounds 80 to pounds 100 and easy availability was
adding to the problem.

Launching the strategy, which aims to increase the number of treatment
places by 1,000 this year and 500 next year from just over 5,000, Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern said there were "no easy answers".

He said drug misuse continued to wreak havoc on families and communities
but he pointed out that the plan had been developed following nationwide
consultation.

The Taoiseach conceded that while drug misuse was now a major public policy
issue there were "clear deficiencies" which needed to be addressed.

Mr Ryan said there were just under 470 people currently awaiting methadone
treatment.

The majority of these people were male, under-30 and unemployed while over
50pc had left school by the age of 16.

Research showed that 40pc of the prison population had a history of
injecting drugs.

Mr Ryan strongly rejected the notion that drugs should be decriminalised
saying the alternative would lead to this country becoming a centre for drugs.

With the use of ecstasy, cannabis and under-age drinking becoming serious
issues, Mr Ryan said regional task forces were being established to address
the specific needs of their area.

He also defended methadone treatment which has been criticised as merely
swapping one addiction for another.

The minister said studies showed that 40pc of people treated on methadone
were back at work and 70pc no longer used heroin although they did use
other drugs.

The aim was to stabilise addicts with methadone and gradually wean them
off. The strategy's objectives include:

* Deploy more gardai in local Drugs Task Force areas by the end of this
year and increase the volume of drugs seized by 50pc by 2008.

* Target the assets of middle-ranking criminals involved.

* Target dealers at a local level.

* Gardai to lodge objections to the renewal of licences for publicans and
night club owners where there has been a history of drug dealing.

The minister said that pounds 1bn had been allocated in the National
Development Plan for social exclusion measures and millions of pounds have
been allocated to local drugs task forces.

Of the 5,000 receiving treatment for heroin only 2pc were outside the
Dublin region.

While the numbers getting treatment has soared from 1,358 in 1995 to 5,032,
the numbers on waiting lists also rose.

The number of drug related deaths has increased from seven in 1990 to 90 in
1998.