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IRELAND IS AMONG the five countries in Europe with the highest rates of cocaine use, according to a new report published by Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
The European report shows that the consumer market for cocaine among young adults is characterised by relatively high prevalence in Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland and Denmark. These five countries alone account for 1.7 million, or 62 per cent, of the estimated 2.7 million users in the ‘last 12 months’ in the 15–34 age group with prevalence levels of between 2.6 per cent and 4.4 percent. The European prevalence rate for ‘last 12 months’ use among young adults stands at 2.1 per cent.
Ireland also ranks high in terms of domestic production of herbal cannabis, showing an increase in the last five years. Almost a quarter of 15 to 64-years olds in the EU, some 80 million individuals, are thought to have tried the drug at least once in their lifetime, some 80. Cannabis use within the last 12 months among young adults is at about one in eight or about 16 million individuals.
The report also suggests that Ireland may be a centre for drug distribution and an entry point for Moroccan resin into Europe. Resin seizures represent about 15 percent of estimated national consumption and it is likely that some of the resin entering Ireland
eventually ends up in the United Kingdom, where the market for resin, although smaller than the market for herb, is still rather large, estimated to be about seven times the size of the Irish market.
Organised crime groups are now more likely to deal in many substances at once and are more likely to join forces, the report found. Drug trafficking is also diversifying, both in terms of the complexity of the routes chosen and the drug types moved along them.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström said the findings in the report calls for “increased cooperation at EU level”. “National measures are simply insufficient, no matter how robust they are,” she said.
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Legalise, tax and control it. Half the country’s problems solved in one stroke of the pen.
Legalize cocaine…….holy %+£–% @*#**£ &#&#* %((&) I don’t want to live here anymore.
Ciaran, how could one “Legalise” something like Cocaine , which is so hugely destructive to everyone’s life , who has ever used it ?- please wise up and smell the coffee!
And people say they don’t have money anymore.
well dont
There are a lot more lives destroyed by alcohol in this country but nobody wants to make that illegal. If coke was legal it wouldn’t be half as popular as it would cease to be seen as “cool”
Waffler waffling…
Those statistics are not to be sniffed at.
Bring in death penalty for drug dealers or 50yrs in prison.
Support for drug dealers overwhelming on here no wonder this country screwed.
I’d say it’s more a vote against you advocating murder to be honest
I’m sort of confused by your view. Why 50 years? Why not life of you believe they should get death? You could get out of jail in your 70s if you only get 50.
Not that I agree with your view but that’s neither here nor there.
What an especially enlightened and progressive opinion you have there, I’m intrigued, please tell me more…..
Firstly, capital punishment doesn’t work. All it takes is one incorrect conviction..secondly, it was removed from law in 1990, thirdly, in 2002 it was banned as part of our constitution and finally, we have been signed into a un human rights treaty which is against it…pretty much, it’s never going to happen.
@Niall better to sacrifice the few to save the many. People need to get a grip and get there heads out of the sand.
@ Itiswhatitis – What are you basing your opinion on???
Unless it increases the chance of a rise in murders, as has been shown to be the case in States in America where the death penalty exists, as you tell the people of your country that a life is worthless.
And all to stop what? People making a choice about taking drugs? Dealers stepping into an empty market to satisfy the wants of quite a lot of people?
Ireland seems to excel at consumption. Wine, beer, tea and now cocaine. Tax the lot.
Wine, beer, and tea are already taxed.
We just just cant say no to a good buzz.
Reach for the lasers,
Adebayooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
There is an argument that drugs are taxed, ie the prices are artificial based on state intervention by making them illegal. Only difference is the profit of the tax is going to drug dealers. Make them legal is the best way to beat the dealers.
Legalise and tax it? Look at cigarettes. Legal and taxed but criminal gangs still importing substandard product because there is money to be made from it. Same would happen with coke and any other drug.
Your argument doesn’t hold water Ciaran. Gangs are able to make money on ciggies because they can source/produce them cheaper elsewhere. The same is not true of drugs as there is no way they can source them cheaper than they would be available if legal. The cartel in Morocco or Colombia isn’t going to sell to Irish gangs at a price that would allow them to undercut the state.
Jimbo help me out, you are being sarcastic right? Hard to tell in text form.
Legalising it would cause the cost of producing it to soar as it would have to be regulated. No more cutting it with cheap rat poison. In such an environment, as with cigarettes, there would be plenty of money to be made by dodging regulations and providing tax free junk to the market. In fact there would probably be even more money for gangs to make as the product being legal could well see the number of users in the state increase.
Jesus! You are clueless!
“there is no way they can source them cheaper than they would be available if cheaper” = clueless.
That statement is not true for anything I can think of. Why would it be any different for cocaine?
Jimbo , the gangs would just buy the same amount of coke as normal , then add even more shit than they currently do , then they will be able to undercut the state , thats how they do it with cigarettes , tiny bit of tobacco , rest is just a more lethal concoction of fcuk knows what ,
same with cheap alcohol , legalising it and taxing it will not stop the the gangs , at this stage the drugs trade has gotten way bigger than any gov can imagine ,
the USA alone have a cocaine trade of about $40BN a year , add to that the heroin , crystal meth , etc etc etc
the war on drugs will never be won ,
Legalising drugs is an admission of defeat.Criminal gangs on an international level make massive amounts from the drug trade,take away their primary source of income and they will only become more ruthless,Mexico is a poster child for drug rivalry and violence in the extreme.
@ Riobard –
The head of the leading cartel in Mexico was recorded on a DEA wiretap saying he fully supports the war on drugs, it’s made him one of the richest men on the planet…..
Yeah Ross thats my point!
Shouldn’t be legalised but decriminalised & treated as a health issue rather than a criminal offence. Sounds counter-intuitive and as though it would lead to disaster but has worked extremely well in Portugal since they decriminalised ALL hard drugs in 2001. This approach has seen hard drug use in the country reduce by almost 50% in the first decade since its introduction. 50 years of drug wars and yet to see results; time for a new approach and Portugal seem to have found a successful one.
The problem with decriminalisation is that the organised crime element isn’t dealt with. Where will the drugs come from? From the same countries that have some of the most horrific mass murders in the world. The only way to stop the death and destruction caused by drugs is a fully and tightly regulated supply chain devoid of any influence from free market capitalism and advertising.
@Ross, fair comment. However, the organised crime element is dealt with in the Portuguese model. By removing all police focus from users, greater resources are allocated to combatting trafficking and large scale distribution etc. In fact, I believe Portugal’s levels of drug seizures have increased significantly too since the decriminalisation (and could perhaps be the main factor in reduced consumption, rather than the approach, but that’s for someone smarter than me to figure out!).
Also, a “tightly regulated supply chain devoid of any influence from free market capitalism and advertising’ is rarely the best delivery method for any product. What you are advocating is essentially a communist production model, which would be fine were it not for the fact that it will exist in an otherwise capitalist system. If, for example, the state (who I am assuming you are saying should control the supply chain, correct me if I’m wrong) were to use high pricing to reduce consumption then the black market will thrive again and we will find ourselves back where we are now.
It’s a complex issue, to which I don’t think there is one right answer. However, if our current approach is failing, and has failed consistently for over 50 years, then it is certainly time for a paradigm shift. And if we accept we need to do things differently, why not just copy someone else who is enjoying success rather than try to reinvent the wheel?
Policing the black market has its own negative consequences. When supply is stopped or seized from a particular point be it a large shipment or a street level dealer what follows is debt and violence. It is not uncommon for low level suppliers to leave their home/family over debts as small as 500 euro. Families are intimidated then to pay. You can extrapolate further the kind of violence that would result from larger seizures.
The current drug prices are currently so inflated by prohibition that if full legalization were to occur the government would find it difficult to over price the supply. They are advocating such a state controlled supply system in Uruguay for the cannabis market. As a species we have achieved many extraordinary things. This problem is not insurmountable by any stretch.
Unfortunately this is something that we will never get to grips with.
U had to be on something in that picture though??
I had to give it up in the end , was only 17 when that picture was taken
lol
Let me tell ya somethin kid………this aint makeup!
Heard they found traces of horse DNA in the latest batch ( ;-) shhh that should get them to stop )
You really think? It is nothing to what it was 4 or 5 years ago…
If the possibility of it being rat poison doesn’t stop them, don’t think non life threatening horse DNA will do the job.
Two people have now said tax cocaine. Are u guys taking cocaine by any chance ? Its hard to not curse at how stupid you are.
I’m sure their thought process is that you aren’t going to stop people from taking it so governments should get a grip on it, ensure what is sold isn’t laced with BZP and tax people for it to increase funds for the country.
I’m not as sold on that idea as I used to be but the current system of pretending cocaine/drug use isn’t a big part of Irish society is a complete failure so perhaps this should be tried?
I don’t take cocaine and I advocate legalising every drug. Its only in the last 100 years that governments have began to ban substances. It hasn’t solved a social problem, its created a massive criminal one. These are facts. Its hard to not curse at how stupid you are.
What are you basing your opinion on Paul? The majority of South and Central American countries are actively pushing for drug liberalisation because the destruction that prohibition has wreaked on their countries is beyond comprehension for a place like Ireland. There is a bill about to be debated in the Colombian parliament that would liberalise use of cocaine and even ecstasy. Drug laws are stupid, the people who would liberalise them are certainly not.
Cocaine? The drug for rich folk who enjoy stroking their own egos .
This report is from the same people who want to perpetuate the failed war on drugs strategy that has cost so much money and ruined so many young lives and has resulted in more abusive drug use not less .
Time to try a new strategy .
I don’t like cocaine, I just like the smell of it!!
Well done to the government acting fast and shutting down head shops. By giving in to the media in a bid to boost popularity points.
All they did was create more product for the drug dealers to sell.
The “herbal” drugs that were sold then are now sold on the black market.
They may not be the top selling drugs just yet like the older more popular ones, but wait and see in time they will be up there.
I am for Portugal’s approach seems to work better then the current system.
No wonder the country is awash with ching; Gardai only interested in the soft targets & easy busts.. How many weed grow houses raided this year so far? Compare that number to the number of significant cocaine seizures..
The “war on drugs” has failed dismally, in some part due to the fact that Gardai and the judiciary continue to squander resources criminalising and pursuing producers and consumers of a *relatively* harmless plant rather than attempting to eradicate genuinely harmful drugs..
85% is consumed in Dáil Éireann but don’t worry folks they claim Expenses
I believe the head shops have a big part to play within the drug problems today. Mostly selling cocaine subsitutes such as “bath salts”. I was one of these very silly people that was mislead by the term Herbal/legal. Some peers whom i know have also tried these products are now replacing them with Cocaine and similiar. Sad but true!
Cocaine was a huge problem prior to head shops.
drugs have been round for centuries long before “head” shops. your beliefs are without “substance”.
Did i say cocaine wasnt around before headshops??!! my point is that this had made our bad cocaine problem worse. introducing more customers/addicts. Ive seen it first hand!
Yeah like were gonna believe a bath salt junkie !
Challenge my point if you dont like it, however throwing insults just shows ur level of maturity. Drugs are a real issue today and knowledge is education. Grab yourself a bowl of coco pops and grow the f*ck up!
Jesus, I was only messin man. Them bath salts have made you so edgy and paro !
I wouldnt stoop so low to pick up so little David. Better things to be doin than responding to a washed up coke head like urself. such as your other comments on this thread. Drugs are not funny. get some help while u still can.
Drugs may or may not be funny, depending on your perspective, humour being subjective after-all, but I found David’s comments very funny :-)
Brilliant!!!
@jay think you need chill the f*#k out man..
Who said drugs are a problem Jay? According to the UN only 10% of people who take (illegal) drugs have a problem with their use. That leaves 90% of users world wide who don’t have a problem. Seems to me their only problem is overzealous moral entrepreneurs who think they have a right to dictate the terms of other peoples bodily and mental integrity. As a result thousands around the world are killed as a result of the cartels and drug gangs. Millions are denied their freedom world wide and rot in prison. Hundreds of thousands die from HIV, AIDS and infection. All this driven by uninformed anecdotal accounts from people like yourself who “heard about this one guy who took cocaine and his nose fell off”.
Ross : According to the UN only 10% of people who take (illegal) drugs have a problem with their use, Does this apply to Heroin?? Crack cocaine or Crystal meth?? Seriously dude you need to get a grip! Having such casual views on class A drugs is a recipe for disaster. Friendly advice! Now go in peace and enjoy your weekend.
@ Jay –
From first paragraph, of the first chapter, of the UN World Drug Report 2012 -
Page 7 -
“Globally, it is estimated that in 2010 between 153 million
and 300 million people aged 15-64 (3.4-6.6 per cent of
the world’s population in that age group) had used an illicit
substance at least once in the previous year. The extent of
illicit drug use has thus remained stable, but the estimated
15.5 million-38.6 million problem drug users (almost 12
per cent of illicit drug users), including those with drug
dependence and drug-use disorders, remain a particular
concern.”
Ok, I admit I was out by 2% …. Don’t think it damages my argument at all though, do you??
Casual views on one issue is not a recipe, it’s and ingredient.
well with all the failed businesses and joblessness it’s nice to see some businesses doing well in these hard times…….
I’ll get my coat…..
Grab the coat and shut the door and your way out!
*on
Damn fat fingers lol
lol yes im just shocked at them all reeling in the money while everybody else is up the proverbial creek without a paddle….. between sex and drugs theres got to be a way to tax em better… lol
o yea and tax on texting would bring in a fortune but thats been blocked by the phone companies and their lobbies as they need the money in their fat fingers…. christ the figures on charging a cent a text in tax would result in billions in govt money and certainly help out everybody BUT NO….
drives me to drink…..
It’s not cocaine it’s head shop bath salts which are now been sold here
Theres still good coke around..
Legailse cocaine he said…be grand he said!
OKay. Maybe I should have said “decriminalise” cocaine rather than “legalise” it. But either way it makes sense to me to control it in some way. If it is made legally available that would immediately stop illegal drug trafficking and the crime that goes with it. Its illegality at the moment is not preventing its importation or use. So why not try it? The quality could then be controlled. Another problem solved and the taxing of it would be a source of revenue. I’m NOT a drug user but I see the sense in controlling it as a means of helping to eradicate the crimes directly associated with its current use in society.
Close ucd and trinity, then put all garda drug squad into dublin 2, 4 and 6 , dalkey , dun laoighre and blackrock – problem gone in a week.
?
The domestic production of cannabis has increased dramatically in ireland over the last five years, there’s criminal gangs making a fortune from selling it, with absolutely no market regulation in place. Cannabis prohibition has been a complete disaster, things need to change ASAP!!
Look at the benefits that could be achieved by legalising it, the criminal gangs valuable revenue stream would automatically be cut off, there’d be an overnight drop in criminality, along with our Garda, courtroom & prison resources being freed up, allowing them to focus on more serious crime. A whole new industry would also be developed, we’d see thousands of jobs created, along with a huge boost in tax revenue, our tourism trade would even benefit (Keep Ireland Green). The market place could be tightly regulated, actually making it safer for those adults who choose to use it, whilst reducing underage use by restricting the sale to minors.
Legalise it.
Young people will try anything and make a point of doing things they are told not to do. If legalised we will end up with as many drug heads on Disability Allowance as we now have cigarette smokers
You just contradicted yourself
Damn straight we do! Yeah!!!
Yes, of course it should be taxed! Lets send Enda “not a cent more to the banks” Kenny over to Columbia on a fact finding mission,to talk to these nice Columbian drug lords about purchasing a few thousand kilos of cocaine.”Is that the best you can do Pablo? Jaysus tis a bit steep,and the funds arent great at the moment. Tell ya what…you gimme a few hundred kilos on tic and I’ll sort ya out the beginning of next month. Im good for it honest;ask anyone in Ireland.”
As John Phelan sa
have your say