This study, by public health specialist Dr Tim Jackson, reviews substance use in Cork and Kerry by comparing its findings with an earlier study carried out in 1996, eight years previously.

The methodology was similar, and age groups 15-44 years were targeted, allowing study of use from adolescence to adulthood. This survey was planned in 2003, and carried out in 2004. Analysis has taken place over the remaining time. It has also been a time of great administrative change, when the former Health Boards, including the Southern Health Board (SHB) were disbanded in June 2005, to become part of the new structures of the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The survey concludes that alcohol is still the dominant drug of misuse in terms of prevalence and problem use.
Smoking and alcohol use precede drug use, and are highly associated with increased drug use. Drug use is mainly "soft drugs" but is widely available. Cocaine and heroin use are still low, but there have been marked increases in these drugs since 1996.