Methadone programmes reduce drug use and cut drug users' participation in crime, report published today says.
The research, entitled Research Outcome Study in Ireland Evaluating Drug Treatment Effectiveness, was done by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs.
The study, which began in 2003, examined 404 opiate users in term of three types of treatment - methadone maintenance and reduction, structured detoxification, and abstinence-based treatments - three of the most common forms of treatment for drug abuse in Ireland.
It found that those in methadone treatment programmes showed a substantial decrease in the use of specific drugs such as heroin, cocaine, non-prescribed methadone and benzodiazepines. There was a reduction in the consumption of heroin from 84 per cent at the start of treatment to 53 per cent at the end of one year.
There was also a drop in the percentage of those involved in acquisitive crime such as theft and handling stolen goods - from 28 per cent at the time of entry to 15 per cent after one year.
It was found that the Irish methadone treatment programmes proved more effective than those in other countries, with 79 per cent of the participants in the study being retained after a one year period, as opposed to 50 per cent in the United Kingdom and 44 per cent in Australia.
The report also noted a decrease in the number of participants reporting injection of drugs and the frequency of drug injection after one year.
Noel Ahern, Minister for State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, said: "It is the intention of the Government to build on these positive results through greater focus on follow-on rehabilitation, as outlined in the Report of the Working Group on Drugs Rehabilitation, which will be published soon."