DR Desmond Corrigan, of the Department of Pharmacology at Trinity College, believes "it is possible to reduce the demand for drugs in the city I love." He was speaking at the drugs conference in Dublin Castle to dispel five myths about drugs:
(1) the belief that drugs `don't jump up and bite you' (a quote from a Sunday newspaper, he said)
(2) that there is such a thing as accidental addiction;
(3) that there is safe heroin;
(4) that impurities are the problem with ecstasy;
(5) that water is the solution to ecstasy.
Because drugs used on the street - "are used in ways that are not normal," there was "no absolute certainty under street circumstances what might arise."
The most addictive drugs were cocaine, nicotine and alcohol. Alcohol and ecstasy cause both liver and brain damage, whereas tobacco damaged the heart, blood vessels, and lungs.
Cannabis was even more damaging to the heart and lungs than tobacco, he said. It also damaged learning and memory functions.