Dublin: Children Being Recruited Into Drugs Trade As Policing Of Market Fails: DELAYED REPORT ? :*UPDATED Link

Drug availability is "largely unaffected" by Garda and Customs’ operations and drug markets are more "integrated" than ever in communities, according to a landmark piece of research.
*The research, conducted during 2008 and 2010, was commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol and the Health Research Board, both attached to the Department of Health.
It is unfortunate that publication of the report was held up for years as it struggled to get the green light from a number of departments, including justice*.

 www.drugfreeworld.org   & www.drugs.ie & www.drugscope.org.uk

The official report said more young people — including children as young as nine — are being recruited into a trade increasingly marked by violence.
*www.irishexaminer.com/analysis/special-report-the-drugs-trade-in-ireland-293769.html
However, the research, conducted over three years, said Garda activity can “contain” the problem and does provide “respite” to intimidated communities and instils confidence among residents in the police.

The study, commissioned by the Government’s drug advisory body, said not all drugs and markets were the same. It said the focus should be on those markets causing most harm to communities, such as dealing of heroin and crack and where children are used.

Lead author Johnny Connolly said the growing debate internationally about decriminalisation was an “important debate” and suggested that the Garda adult cautioning system could be expanded to include drug possession cases.

The research, co-written by Anne Marie Donovan, is the first of its type in Ireland and examined drug markets in four areas in the country.

The researchers interviewed drug dealers and gardaí in national and local drug units and customs officers. The study accessed the Garda Pulse system and conducted the most detailed analysis yet of drug purity levels at the Forensic Science Laboratory.

The report, commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol (* www.nacd.ie ) and conducted by the Health Research Board, ( www.hrb.ie ) also involved surveys of local people in the four communities.
Around half of respondents, on average, said they avoided certain areas.

“Drug markets are more integrated in local communities,” said Mr Connolly. “The markets are younger, more violent — there are more varied types of drugs. With new novel psychoactive drugs, drug prices have fallen and drug use has been largely unaffected by law enforcement.”

He said that, despite “widespread concern” about drugs and the expenditure of significant resources on law enforcement, there was an “almost total absence” of analysis of the outcomes.

Mr Connolly, a criminologist at the HRB, said both gardaí and dealers believed that Garda operations had “no impact on availability” beyond a temporary reduction for a period of weeks. This is because of the sheer volume of other suppliers, the massive profits and the constant demand for drugs.

The 300-page report, ‘Illicit Drug Markets in Ireland’, said that, in two of the four areas, young people — teens and adolescents — were heavily involved as runners and street sellers.

Mr Connolly said the State needed to build up communities and address their concerns, including social, economic and environmental issues. “The community dimension is key,” said Mr Connolly.

“That’s where the problem hits first and hits hardest and where the most damage is done. We have to find ways of engaging communities most affected, done on their terms.”

*It is understood that publication of the research, conducted between 2008 and 2010, was held up by bureaucratic and policy delays ?.

(Editor's comment: Sounds like a lot of people in high places, had and still have a vested intrest in supressing this report. I can only ponder WHY?)
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ENDS:

Dublin: 38% Of Homicide Victims Had Illicit Drugs In Their System: STUDY: *UPDATED

Deputy State pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said: “This study shows, in certain instances like gangland shootings, that there is a link between violent deaths and the drug sub-culture.”

Some 38% of victims of homicide had illicit drugs or medication in their system at the time of death, a study has found.

A study of records from the State Pathologist’s Office found there were 288 homicides between 2008 and 2012, comprising murders and manslaughters.

www.irishtimes.com//news/crime-and-law/study-on-drugs-and-death-by-homicide-1.1906721 

The figures indicate an average of 57.6 homicides each year over the five-year period, with homicides accounting for 0.2% of all overall deaths.

The greatest number of homicides took place in 2010, with 66 deaths, while the lowest number was in 2011 when there were 47

The study, entitled ‘Drug Associated Homicidal Deaths,’ carried out by a medical student at University College Cork, Roisin Greaney, found that 109 of the 288 homicide victims had illicit drugs or medication in their system at the time of death.

Links to HELPLINES:

www.drugfreeworld.org & www.drugs.ie & www.drugscope.org.uk & www.spunout.ie & www.citywide.ie 

Of those 109 victims, 87% were male and 13% were female.

Almost half (48%) of victims who had drugs or medication in their system died from gunshot wounds.

One-in-four died from stab wounds, while blunt force trauma was the cause of death in 18% of the 109 cases.

In 75% of cases, the victims had more than one drug in their system.

The presence of benzodiazapines (sedatives) or barbiturates was detected in 53% of postmortem toxicology screenings. Alcohol was detected in 39% of cases, and opiates in 37%.

Alcohol was only taken into account if it was used in combination with other drugs or medication.

Cannabis was detected in 29% of cases, cocaine in 22% of cases and methadone was detected in 17%.

The victims had more than two substances in their system at the time of death in 32% of cases.

Just 22 of the 109 victims had previous documented abuse of drugs and alcohol.

Ms Greaney, who is from Douglas, Cork, said that in some cases the drugs or medication and alcohol may have played a contributory role in the death.

Deputy State pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said: “This study shows, in certain instances like gangland shootings, that there is a link between violent deaths and the drug sub-culture.”
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Related article: *Update:

More than 3,500 offenders being supervised by probation services in Northern Ireland have problems with drug and alcohol misuse.

The number equates to over 70% of all 5,000 criminals who are on probation in the region.

The scale of the drink and drug problem among offenders was outlined by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI).

It has outlined the figures to highlight the extent to which alcohol and substance abuse contributes to criminal and anti-social behaviour.

The acting director of PBNI Cheryl Lamont said the percentage of those experiencing misuse problems was concerning.

"Given that we supervise almost 5000 offenders, this is a significant number of people presenting with alcohol or drug problems," she said.

"We know many offenders commit acquisitive crimes, such as theft and burglary to fund their addictions. Many who commit assaults also report the fact that they have consumed alcohol or taken drugs.

"The Probation Board has developed a range of programmes which in a practical way seek to hold offenders to account, prevent further victimisation and create safer communities. Given the numbers of offenders who present with drug and alcohol issues many of the programmes we run deal with those specific areas, and work by providing information about the effects of alcohol upon health, personal relationships and offending to enable participants to make informed choices about their use of alcohol.

"We also work with community partners across NI to deliver effective interventions in relation to alcohol and substance misuse. Groups like AddictionNI which deal with alcohol and drug addictions and raise awareness of the dangers of drug and alcohol misuse receive community grants from PBNI to assist in making communities safer.

"It is important people think carefully about their actions and the consequences and know that if they become involved in criminality they will be held to account."

Links to related articles:

www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/drugs-found-in-38-of-homicide-victims-283398.html 

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/data_stats.html