A REPORT COMMISSIONED by Ireland’s drugs advisory board has found that there is no “straightforward link” between Garda seizures and the availability of drugs.

The National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol (NACDA) and Health Review Board conducted a wide-ranging three-year study into drug supply across Ireland.

The study interviewed drug dealers and law enforcement officers in a number of towns, urban and rural.

It found major differences in drug markets in different towns, but added that they had become “more integrated” over the last number of years.

It says that there is no link between supply reduction initiatives and sustained lowering of drug availability levels, but said that the gardaí can influence how drugs spread in new markets.

“Despite the difficulties associated with policing drug markets, research and evidence suggest that supply-reduction activities can contribute to the containment of drug markets and frustrate the expansion of new markets.

Nevertheless, the public demand for illegal drugs and the profits that can be earned from drug-dealing ensure that international and Irish drug markets remain resilient and adaptable to law-enforcement interventions

“Although some drug sellers acknowledged the importance of being wary of Garda activity, there is no evidence from the study that general drug availability was affected significantly for any period by law enforcement.”

The report also found “local community tolerance of cannabis use was highlighted by Garda members and by treatment workers in a number of sites”.

Dr Johnny Connolly, lead author of the report from the Health Review Board said that the research aims to fill a knowledge

“Despite widespread concern about the societal impact of illicit drug markets and related crime, and the significant public resources invested in responding to the various harms associated with the trade in illicit drugs, there has been an almost total absence of in-depth research and analysis of this trade and of the nature and impact of such interventions.

“This research has sought to fill a significant knowledge gap in this important area of Irish drug policy.”

The researchers recommend that further responses to drugs by “pragmatic”, that recognition be made of the differences in drugs markets and that efforts be made to divert drug users in a way that prioritises the local community.

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