Additional guidelines are not required to deal with cocaine abuse in Ireland, because the number of people going for treatment represents just 1 per cent of those receiving help for drug abuse, according to the Minister of State for Community Affairs, Mr Noel Ahern.
He said that, while there was anecdotal evidence that cocaine use was increasing, it was still very low, and it was people well into their 20s or 30s who were more likely to be using cocaine.
The Minister added that cocaine-related offences accoun- ted for 3 per cent of all drugs offences. "Most drug convictions are for cannabis, which is the big problem," he said. There was no substitute treatment for cocaine use, unlike heroin where methadone could be used. "Counselling and behaviour therapy sessions are what exist and we can only treat those people who come forward," he said.
Mr Ahern insisted during Question Time that Ireland was "roughly average" in the use of cocaine compared to other European countries. He rejected Fine Gael claims that the use of cocaine in Ireland was far more serious than he was saying.
Fine Gael's spokesman, Mr Fergus O'Dowd, said: "Our position is not in the middle but in the top or three or four", following the publication of the survey by the National Advisory Committee which showed that Ireland was fourth in Europe for young people using cocaine.
Mr Ahern said, however, that the figure for Spain was 2.6 per cent, Britain 2 per cent and the Netherlands and Ireland were joint third for cocaine use at 1.1 per cent. Ireland was considerably behind some countries, and "overall we are about average or slightly ahead".
Cocaine-related convictions and seizures rose from about 170 in 1999 to 300 two years later, but were still only 3 per cent of overall convictions.
The Minister said he was confident that through the national drugs strategy the cocaine problem could be addressed. The strategy was in place and the local drugs task forces all had action plans to tackle drug use in their area, based on their own identified priorities.
Some €130 million had been spent, and regional drugs task forces were being established in each health board, and many were up and running.
