8. Deputy Jim O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs  the policy initiatives or campaigns that have recently been introduced to raise awareness of the dangers of drug use. [12333/08]

Deputy Pat Carey: Last February, I launched the national awareness campaign on drugs, “The Party’s Over”. This campaign was developed by the Health Service Executive, HSE, in consultation with many of the key Departments and agencies involved in tackling problem drug use, including my Department. The campaign was developed with the intention that it will be sustainable over the next three years.

In the first phase, the primary aim is to communicate the dangers of cocaine use, with a particular focus on so-called recreational cocaine users in the 15-34 year age group. The campaign is utilising appropriate media, such as social network websites, billboard and bus advertising as well as radio advertising to target this age group, and this approach will be continued. The health promotion unit of the HSE has also published two leaflets “Know The Facts About Drugs” and “Cocaine - the Facts” to accompany the campaign.

A drugs information website www.drugs.ie has also been developed and launched in conjunction with the campaign. In this context, it is worth noting that many of the local and regional drugs task forces already have in place a number of valuable initiatives, including events such as awareness weeks. Such initiatives have proven to be effective as many of them focus on issues that are particular to their localities.

In addition, it should be noted that I have secured funding this year for initiatives to tackle the cocaine problem. As part of this, cocaine awareness campaigns at a more local and regional level - to dovetail with this national campaign - will be developed over the coming months by the drugs task forces. In the past two weeks we called for local campaign proposals to be forwarded, through task forces, to me. Vol. 650 No. 4 Other Questions Thursday, 3 April 2008