Senator Aubrey McCarthy: Last week there was an interview on "The Anton Savage Show" between Anton and a professor of addiction studies in Trinity College, Dr. Jo-Hanna Ivers. She focused on the rapid rise of cocaine use in Ireland, which should be a serious concern to all of us. She mentioned that cocaine is no longer a fringe drug but is firmly moving into the mainstream in every family and community, in family homes and social settings. With that normalisation comes a very dangerous illusion that cocaine is somehow less harmful, less destructive and more acceptable. Through my own work with Tiglin, I have seen the real damage that cocaine addiction causes, not just to the person but also to the partners living in constant anxiety, the children growing up in instability and communities dealing with the consequences. I have spoken in this House before about drug-related intimidation and a lot of that is regarding cocaine debt.

One of the strongest messages Dr. Ivers gave was that addiction does not discriminate. Enforcement alone will not solve the problem. We cannot arrest all the people for a way out of addiction. We need a health-led, compassionate approach that recognises addiction as an illness, and a response that invests properly in prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery. There are wonderful organisations out there. Tiglin, the organisation I am involved in, has seen presentations for cocaine powder raise to 24.9% and for crack cocaine to 17%. We have a new initiative with the South Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, whereby a key worker goes out to provide a community-based approach and a support service for people affected by cocaine and crack cocaine use. That is a health-led example of what we can do in the community in partnership with local services across Dublin's south inner city. By working with the community, we can make a difference.

People can and do rebuild their lives. Many people in this House have attended presentations in the audiovisual room that show that when the supports are there, including housing, family supports and so on, people can believe in themselves and recovery is possible with joined-up services. They need a willingness from the Government to act early rather than waiting until we are already in crisis. It is a horrible scenario at the moment, which Dr. Ivers described, and it is a realistic one, but it can turn into a good news story with the proper supports and funding available...

Senator Seán Kyne: ... Senator McCarthy talked about an interview on radio with Professor Jo-Hanna Ivers, an expert in addiction studies. She talked about the rapid rise in cocaine use and the damage that can be done. She spoke about the need and importance of health-led approaches and the need for people to be able to rebuild their lives. I would like to acknowledge the work of Tiglin, Cuan Mhuire, the Rutland Centre and others that are involved in helping those who are addicted to drugs to rehabilitate themselves. I will request a debate on this matter as well. A lot of good and necessary work is being done to assist those who have issues....