Call to better fund anti-drug initiatives

The third Cork Drug Awareness Week, at which Mountjoy Prison’s governor John Lonergan will be a key speaker, aims to highlight the danger of drug and alcohol abuse.

It will also raise awareness and provide information so communities, families and professionals know where to go for help and information.

The Traveller Visibility Group (TVG) held two training sessions for members of the Travelling community yesterday.

Events will continue throughout the week.

Schoolgoers will be targeted during today’s sessions which hope to prevent the development of drug and alcohol problems.

Workshops and activities will take place at the Glen Resource and Sports Centre in Cork city.

Meanwhile, the Mountjoy governor will address a conference next Tuesday on drug intervention strategies tailored for the individual.

Sr Consillio of Cuan Mhuire will chair the event which will also feature an item exploring how ‘brief interventions’ have proven highly effective in combating drug and alcohol misuse.

An event aimed at families of those with alcohol and drug problems will take place on Thursday week.

The wide range of supports and advice available will be outlined and the phases experienced by families grappling with addiction will be explained.

Cork Drug Awareness Week is funded by the Cork Local Drugs Task Force, Southern Regional Drugs Task Force, and the Dormant Accounts funds through Pobal.

Cork Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune described the event as a “positive step in the fight against the drugs epidemic” sweeping the country.

“Events such as this should be held on a regular basis,” she said, adding that the recent National Advisory Committee on Drugs report confirmed that Ireland is facing a drugs epidemic.

Among the facts revealed in the report are:

• 34% of respondents aged 24 to 35 admitted to taking illegal drugs at sometime during their life.
• In four years the use of cocaine has jumped from 4.5% to 7.8% among the 15-34 age group, and from 1.4% to 2.6% among the 35-64 age group

"This drugs epidemic and the misuse of alcohol are the root causes of the many crime and health problems we currently face and tackling them properly should have a positive knock-on effect in these other areas,"Ms Clune said.

"The events of Cork Drug Awareness Week are designed to tackle these issues and if the Government wants to be serious about this, more funding should be given to such events.” 

Source: Irish Examiner, 07 May 2008.