SHOOTING UP IN RURAL IRELAND

Dublin's pernicious heroin problem has seeped beyond the capital into
idyllic rural Ireland. An anti-drugs group recently revealed that it has
received appeals for help from provincial towns suffering the consequences
of a concerted drive against pushers in Dublin, while a Home Office report
in Britain has shown that the drug problem in rural areas there is as bad,
if not worse, than in the cities.

As the battle against Dublin's chronic heroin problem continues in earnest,
there is growing evidence that drug dealers are targeting untapped markets
beyond the capital in some of the most isolated parts of the country.

Healthcare professionals working in the field of drug addiction are
concerned that increasing numbers of young people in rural towns are
turning to heroin either because they have tired of cannabis or because
they are using the drug to 'bring them down' after an ecstasy trip.

While the latter two drugs are now believed to be widely available in every
town in the country, at a time when heroin is believed to be cheaper, purer
and in greater supply than it has ever been, there are fears that rural
communities, ill-equipped to deal with drug abuse, may be falling prey to
the scourge which has ripped so many urban ones apart.

While there is little statistical evidence to measure the extent of hard
drug supply in rural areas and while the Garda National Drugs Unit has no
concrete proof that there is any increase, coastal regions and towns with
large concentrations of young people are the most likely targets.

The number of heroin addicts in parts of Wicklow has trebled in the last
two years. Earlier this week, a 23-year-old drug dealer from Athlone,
himself supporting a IEP400-a-week drug habit, told a court that he could
have made as much as IEP1,500 a week selling heroin. There is also evidence
that the drug is widely available in West Cork, Ennis, Letterkenny,
Waterford and Carrickmacross.

The success of Operation Dochas, which has increased the garda presence on
the streets of the capital, and the fact that many Dublin dealers are being
driven out of their traditional trading bases by local anti-drugs
activists, are among the reasons why the geography of hard drug abuse may
be changing. Small-time individual dealers filling the void left by the
break-up of the country's major drug gang in the aftermath of the murder of
journalist Veronica Guerin are thought to be focussing on smaller towns
where there is less surveillance of their activities and where potential
victims may be less aware of the dangers of drugs.

The severe lack of facilities for young people in rural parts of the
country, which has been partly blamed for the soaring levels of underage
alcohol abuse, is another factor believed to contribute to their increasing
interest in illegal drugs. While their city counterparts have the option of
a visit to the local omniplex or bowling alley, with more time on their
hands and a greater willingness to experiment brought on by boredom, rural
youngsters are prime targets for drug dealers wishing to expand their trade
beyond the capital.

"What we are noticing is a trend in the number of young people from outside
Dublin who are coming to us at a point where heroin is starting to be a
problem for them," says Dr Maire Russell, director of the Rutland Centre,
Dublin's leading drug addiction treatment centre.

"Previously, they may have been taking ecstasy or cannabis and we would not
have come into contact with them, but because of the nature of heroin
addiction, they are quickly slipping into crime. At that point they are
presenting to us. It is becoming clear that heroin is no longer just
available in Dublin's inner city. It is touching all parts of the country
and spreads right across the board in terms of class."

Dr Russell's claims are supported by medical staff in drug abuse treatment
centres outside the capital.

Jim Donnan, an addiction counsellor based in Limerick, is convinced that
growing numbers of young people in rural parts of the country are
experimenting with heroin which is being supplied to them by organised
sources.

"It isn't widely available on the streets of smaller towns but it is
available on demand. You have to be in the know, but if you want it, you
can get it without a shadow of a doubt. It used to be the case that people
from rural areas were going to Dublin, getting it and coming back but in
the last six months it seems that small markets are developing which
provide a more regular supply."

New research in Britain, where drug usage patterns tend to reflect
similarities to our own, does not augur well for this country. A Home
Office report published last week revealed that drug abuse in rural parts
of the UK is as bad if not worse as it is in the cities.

One of the most disturbing trends related to an 'enormous' rise in heroin
abuse in rural areas. Moreover, it showed that middle class children from
stable backgrounds are the ones who are most at risk. An anti-drugs
strategy to highlight and tackle the rapidly growing problem use of drugs
in the countryside has been launched.

Meanwhile, as the economy continues to boom here, there are those in
Dublin's inner city who believe that the country's new-found prosperity may
be another factor adding to the increased dependency on hard drugs.

"The flaunted wealth of the Celtic Tiger is making the most socially
excluded feel increasingly frustrated and that might explain why they are
turning to drugs," argues Seanie Lambe, board member of the Dublin Citywide
Drugs Crisis Campaign.

"Any town that attracts young people will attract heroin. All you need is a
couple of people to get a market started. Once it gets a grip on a few, it
can spread like wildfire."

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)