Sir, – I find this latest report from the Health Research Board about the increase in cocaine use in Ireland deeply frustrating.
It seems that an awful lot of the increase is not due to addicts, but to young people taking the drug on a night out.
From the generation that claims to be the most socially progressive and egalitarian (of which I am a member), surely supporting an illegal trade that relies on effective slavery for supply, along with fear, coercion and violence goes against our values.
Moreover, as reported in this paper (“Cocaine abuse ‘on upward trajectory’, say doctors”, Health, June 8th), illegal drugs now are the main source of psychiatric hospitalisations – putting largely preventable pressure on our already strained health service.
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I should hope that we do not need to divert funding from other areas of our health service to support what is essentially selfish ignorance by a proportion of the population.
To paraphrase Joseph Malins, “put a fence at the top of the cliff rather than an ambulance at the bottom”.
– Yours, etc,
ILLANN WALL,
Cloghroe,
Cork.