Generation gap closing as our 'gravers' fail to kick the habit
Saturday January 26 2008
MIDDLE-AGED professionals are experimenting with illegal drugs as Ireland's growing drug problem threatens to spiral out of control.
The Government has been told that the generation gap which confined drug use to younger people is closing, with older people reporting increased drug use and experimentation.
A major report on drug prevalence in Ireland shows that so-called "gravers" -- people over 35 who continue to take illegal drugs -- are on the rise.
It also shows that cocaine use has doubled in the past five years, with one-in-four people living here admitting to having taken an illegal substance.
There was also an increase in ecstasy use among older adults aged between 35-64.
The figures, contained in a report from the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD), led to a furious political row last night as the Opposition accused the Government response to the crisis as "inadequate".
Dangers
Fine Gael said the National Drugs Strategy was an "abject failure", with people not getting the information showing the potential dangers of using illegal drugs.
"Fianna Fail has failed to cut off the supply of drugs, particularly cocaine," drugs spokesman Senator Jerry Buttimer charged, adding that a "complete overhaul" of drugs education was needed.
The report notes that as drug users grow older, an increase in the percentage of the population who have tried illegal narcotics will arise.
"Surveys with older people have, to date, shown very low rates of use even on a lifetime basis," the report says.
"This situation will change over time as the population grows older, hence lifetime prevalence rates are likely to increase for a considerable period of time."
The report also found:
l Nearly one-in-four people (24pc) reported taking illegal drugs, compared with 18.5pc five years ago when a previous survey was carried out.
l Men are more likely than women to experiment.
l Cannabis is the most commonly used drug with 22pc of the population trying it, up from 17.4pc in 2002 when the last survey was conducted.
l There were increases in cocaine use (up from 2.9pc to 5pc); magic mushrooms (from 3.9pc to 5.8pc) and ecstasy (up from 3.7pc to 5.4pc).
l There were increases in the use of illegal drugs among young adults aged 15-34 (from 26pc to 31.4pc) and older adults aged 35-64 years (up from 11.8pc to 17.6pc).
l Over 27pc of people aged 35-44 years old admitting trying illegal drugs.
Chairman of the NACD, Dr Des Corrigan, said only when a tragedy occurred did people realise the danger of drugs. However, he said it was important to remember that three-quarters of the population did not use illegal drugs.
"A drug like cocaine is not safe, it's a poison and always has been," he warned.
"Unfortunately, until you have a tragedy you don't get the message across that drugs are not safe."
Last month, the Irish Independent revealed that deaths from drug abuse were rocketing with heroin still the main killer, despite the popularity of cocaine.
Almost 630 people have died from drug abuse in the six years since 2000, compared with 542 in the previous 20 years.
- Paul Melia
