BISHOP BUCKLEY GIVES ADDICT METHADONE IN HIS HOME

Bishop Pat Buckley will this morning illegally provide a heroin addict with
methadone in an attempt to get him off the drug.

Bishop Buckley, who's own nephew committed suicide as a result of drug
addiction three years ago, said he decided to help the addict, called Fred,
after he was told he had to wait up to six months for treatment.

"Fred will administer the methadone himself, but under my supervision,"
said Bishop Buckley. The bishop, who attempted to buy methadone on the
street in Dublin on Tuesday night, made an appeal on the Marian Finucane
radio show yesterday for help.

"A person with expertise in the field rang and offered official methadone,"
said the bishop. "So although I didn't get it through the regular channels,
at least we know the methadone is of proper quality."

"Some people say what I am doing is illegal. That may be so, but it would
be morally wrong to leave this guy on the street taking heroin and risking
death."

Fred will now have to go 10 days without heroin in order to get on a
rehabilitation programme in the Republic.

"I do really want this to work. I haven't really tried before, but Bishop
Buckley's strength will help me," said the 20 year old who is originally
from England.

Fred, who has been sleeping rough for the last four months, said he was
told by officials in Trinity Court treatment centre in Dublin city that he
would have to wait between two and six months. "It's not really fair to
have to wait so long."

Fred said he was very grateful to Bishop Buckley and to a mutual friend for
helping him. "Without them I couldn't do this. I'm very lucky."

Fred will stay at Bishop Buckley home in Larne, Co. Antrim, for the next
ten days.

Meanwhile, a group representing former and current heroin users yesterday
demanded the Government tackle the problem. "The waiting list for treatment
has been growing recently. It is a major problem for those trying to get
clean," said Tommy Larkin of UISCE.

Anna Quigley of the Dublin City-wide Drugs Crisis Campaign said there were
waiting lists of between six weeks and two months in most clinics and it
was even longer again in Trinity Court.

"We have about 5,000 people receiving treatment, but there are another
8,000 plus out there who are not in treatment."

A spokeswoman for the three health boards serving the greater Dublin area
said 5,500 people were being treated and that there were 400 people on
waiting lists.

She said the number of clinics had grown from 3 to 55 in the last six years.