Almost 2,500 people died from drug abuse and overdosing in the State between 1998 and 2005 - the fourth highest rate in Europe - new research revealed today.
Over the eight-year period 2,442 people died directly or indirectly from drug use, according to a report by the Health Research Board (HRB). Heroin played a part in around three-quarters of these deaths, while cocaine was a factor in 100 deaths, the research found.
A total of 1,553 deaths were directly linked to the consumption of drugs, either alone or with other substances (poisoning), and 889 deaths were indirectly attributed to drug use (non-poisoning).
The research showed the numbers who died either directly or indirectly from drug use rose from 242 in 1998 to 400 in 2005.
Only Estonia, Denmark and Luxembourg had higher drug related death rates than Ireland, which has 54.2 deaths among every one million in the population.
Dr Suzi Lyons, HRB senior researcher, said: "The European average is 20.9, but one of the reasons Ireland’s rate appears so much higher than rates in other countries is a reflection of the level and quality of the information collected. "
Dr Lyons also highlighted a dangerously high number of deaths linked to alcohol. “One quarter of all deaths implicated alcohol, which is quite worrying,” she said.
Most cases of death by overdose were male and aged between 20 and 40, reflecting the international experience.
The number of cocaine users who died climbed steadily from five in 1998 to 34 in 2005, and the study found the number of cocaine-related deaths three years ago was almost seven times higher than a decade ago.
According to the HRB, the number of treatment cases in which cocaine was reported as the main problem drug rose from 81 in 2001 to 770 last year. The number of cocaine seizures has also jumped from 515 in 2003 to 1,500 in 2006.
In addition, 3 per cent of young adults aged between 15 and 34 said they used cocaine in the last year, placing Ireland among the biggest users of cocaine in Europe, alongside Britain and Italy.
“Ireland’s increasing cocaine problem is the result of a number of factors including, availability, price, affluence, a young population and geography - we are in the group of countries most affected by the supply chain,” said Dr Jean Long, head of the Alcohol and Drug Research Unit at the HRB.
The study indicates that cocaine use is on the rise across Europe with 3.5 million young Europeans admitting to using it in the past year.
In Ireland, the 2007 figures show that there were newly diagnosed cases of HIV as a result of injecting drugs. In view of the latest figures available on blood-borne viruses, however, Ireland is among the low prevalence countries for HIV and high prevalence countries for hepatitis C,” Dr Long added.
Researchers also revealed the lethal dangers of solvent abuse with 24 teenagers dying after abusing sprays, aerosols and other similar substances. Ten of these youngsters were aged between 11 and 14, while 14 of them were aged 15 to 19.
Other findings showed benzodiazepines, like valium and Diazepam, were involved in a third of all deaths.
Since 2003, the annual number of deaths by poisoning outside Dublin has overtaken the number of deaths in Dublin city and county. According to Dr Lyons, this reflects the fact that drug use is now a nationwide issue and not limited to the Dublin region.
The latest figures for drug misuse in Ireland are included in a study on the state of the drugs problem across Europe published by the European Monitoring Committee on Drugs and Drug Addiction.
Additional reporting PA
