A new survey released today shows a significant decrease in the level of heroin abuse in Dublin.
The study, commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD), found the number of people using heroin in the capital was 12,456 compared to a 1996 figure of 13,461.
The number of people using heroin in the State as a whole was found to be 14,452. The change in this figure was impossible to gauge as the previous survey only focused on Dublin.
The current study also found a significant shift the average age profile of heroin users. Among men the 25 - 34 or the 35 - 54 age group accounted for the majority of opiate users.
Previously the majority of users had come from the 15 - 24 age group.
NACD chairperson, Dr Des Corrigan, said that as the drug using population ages, we are seeing fewer young people using opiates, a phenomenon which will need to be analysed further.
"A comparison of the 1996 and 2001 Dublin figures shows that more 25 to 34 year olds are coming forward for treatment. This is an encouraging sign that they recognise that they can be helped."
"In the light of this evidence, we need to press ahead with the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy because these figures leave no room for complacency," Dr Corrigan said.
Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, Mr Noel Ahern TD said: "Drug misuse remains one of the major social problems facing Irish society today".
"While the study's findings in relation to Dublin are encouraging, we cannot afford any degree of complacency. The Government will continue to work in partnership with communities most affected by the problem," the minister said.
