DRUG STRATEGY TO BE WELCOMED

News That the Midlands Regional Drugs Task Force Is to Finally Publish
Theie Long Awaited Action Plan Is to Be Welcomed by All in the Midlands.

Conceived in 2003 as part of a national strategy to deal with the
ongoing prelevance of substance abuse across the country, the action
plans by the 14 Regional Task Forces across the country will attempt
to put in place a strategy based on prevention rather than cure.

That there is a problem in Athlone, and the other Midlands towns, is
obvious to anyone who ventures out any day or night of the week.

But lest we fool ourselves into thinking that this is something that
effects only a very small number of people who abuse drugs, it is
important to remember that the Task Force will also address problems
around the most commonly abused substance in Irish society today -
and that drug is alcohol.

Is there anyone in Irish society who can say that they have not been
affected in some way or another by alcohol?

You may not drink and you may never have touched a drop in your life;
your house could be as dry as the Sahara, but whether you like it or
not, drink is everywhere you look.

This weekend alone, 459 people were arrested for drink driving,
despite all the warnings from all the agencies that if you drink and
drive now you will be caught. Any weekend night you want, you only
have to take to the streets to see the damage that alcohol is doing
in our society - it is everywhere, and it is becoming a bigger and
bigger problem.

And it is not just on our streets, it is in our homes.

It results in broken families, broken marriages and, unfortunately,
in some circumstances, broken bones as the result of domestic violence.

A recent report commissioned by the Department of Health found that
in the past 10 years per capita consumption of alcohol in Ireland has
increased by over 40 per cent.

One of the most serious findings of that study was that binge
drinking has markedly increased among younger people.

The rate of alcohol increase among young women, some aged just 15 and
16 years is a cause of particular concern.

In addition, the link between alcohol abuse and teenage suicide has
been raised by many in the health profession as an issue that must be tackled.

The survey on why young people take jobs outside of school hours was
conducted by the former director of Dundalk Institute of Technology,
Dr Sean McDonagh.

In light of this the action plan for the Midlands is a bit of good news.

After undertaking a comprehensive consultation process the plan was
completed during 2005 and submitted for approval for Government funding.

The plan is being officially launched on the November 2 in the
Tullamore Court Hotel and will progress a range of measures across
the four pillars of education/prevention, supply reduction,
treatment/rehabilitation, and research.

The first initiative of the taskforce is the small grants scheme,
which was advertised in September and is aimed at stimulating
activity among the voluntary and community sector across the region
to tackle substance abuse.

Over 40 applications have been received so far and more are expected.

While the plan has been a long time coming, its publication marks
another small step forward in the war on drugs, and is to be welcomed
by all and sundry.