Northern Ireland has lost the war against drugs, it was claimed tonight in the wake of the deaths of three men.
Northern Ireland Drugs Strategy Coordinator Ms Jo Daykin said the illegal substances were "here to stay", but she urged the community to increase its efforts to stop young people playing Russian roulette with their lives.
Post mortem examinations were carried out today on the three men found dead in nationalist west Belfast on Sunday morning hours after they attended a party in the area.
The RUC said the exact cause of death would be determined by a coroner's inquest. However it was understood the preliminary cause of death was given as a mixture of drink and drugs.
The dead were named by the RUC as Mr Eamon McCoubrey, 22, of Hannaglen Heights, Mr Jim O'Connor, 20, from Beechmount Drive, and Mr Thomas Sterritt, 18, from Tullymore Walk, all west Belfast.
The three had met up in a nightspot on the Falls Road on Saturday night and gone on to a party in the Westrock area, believed to have been held at a girlfriend's house.
Mr McCoubrey and Mr O'Connor were discovered dead in a house in Westrock Green in the Ballymurphy area when an ambulance was called to the scene on Sunday morning.
One was dead in a downstairs room and the other in an upstairs bedroom.
An hour later Mr Sterritt was discovered dead at his home in Andersonstown.
Ms Daykin, who is in charge of Northern Ireland's anti-drug strategy, said: "We lost the war on drugs a long time ago in that I don't believe that we will ever see a drug-free Northern Ireland again.
"Drugs are here to stay, but I still believe that there are many things we can do to minimise harm and change attitudes and make adults more aware."
She said drugs had become a part of youth culture and many young people felt it was "cool" to take them.
"It's Russian Roulette and we must show them that it can happen to them," she said.
PA