A northside charity working with drug users has found that heroin addiction still poses a significant problem in Finglas and Cabra.
According to Sankalpa’s annual report, heroin use accounted for over half of referrals to one of their programs.
Last year Sankalpa had 145 referrals to its three treatment programs, and manager Dr Tom O’Brien says addiction continues to present challenges for the Finglas and Cabra communities.
Apart from the heroin problem, the report also highlights the issue of prescription medication abuse, which accounted for 20 per cent of referrals to Sankalpa’s Turning Point program.
Sankalpa participated in a separate 2013 report into drug use in the Finglas and Cabra area which indicated consumption had become ‘normalized’, with a survey showing 27 per cent of the population using an illegal drug.
Heroin, crack cocaine and crystal meth were all reported to be in use in the Finglas/Cabra area, with cannabis identified as the most commonly used illicit drug. Most users were also identified as consuming more than one illegal substance.
Highlighting some of the difficulties faced by users, Dr O’Brien said: “drug users have been stigmatized by society, so as to avoid looking at the social causes of drug addiction.
“Addiction takes root in an environment of high unemployment, educational disadvantage and community breakdown.”
Source: Ken Phelan, Dublin People, 10/11/14
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