Dublin: Is crack cocaine the new heroin?

The use of crack cocaine increased by 594% in Ireland between 2017 and 2023.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyUS ElectionElection pollsKamala HarrisDonald TrumpJD VanceTim WalzSportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersCrack cocaine 'crisis' on Dublin's streetsGetty ImagesThere has been an 80% increase in women reporting problematic crack cocaine useDublin is in the midst of a crack cocaine crisis, according to the city's drug counsellors.

The number of people seeking treatment for the use of the drug in the Republic of Ireland increased by 594% from 173 cases in 2017 to 1,201 in 2023, statistics from the Health Research Board (HRB) show.

One user said he came to the city in his 20s where he became an addict.

"I kind of slipped from maybe taking a few beers, to taking a couple of ecstasy, to taking some other stuff, and then I ended up on heroin and crack cocaine," said John (not his real name).

Crack is the street name given to a solid form of cocaine that is usually smoked.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m0mjvlg1eo

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