Government plans to put alcohol abuse alongside drug abuse have been welcomed by leading activists in the treatment of addiction problems.
However, the drinks industry has concerns about the policy.
Alcohol is a “gateway drug” to illicit drugs such as ecstasy and heroin, and measures to tackle it in the forthcoming National Substance Misuse Strategy will “have to be radical”, according to a member of the steering committee.
Fergus McCabe, who was speaking at the publication of the Merchants Quay Ireland annual review in Dublin yesterday, was commenting on plans by Minister of State for Health with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, Róisín Shortall, to include alcohol in the next strategy, linking it with illicit drugs.
Source: Kitty Holland, Irish Times, 01/10/2011
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