Irish people are more likely to think illicit drugs are a serious problem in their local area than citizens of almost every other EU member state.
A new survey published by the European Commission has revealed that 58% of Irish adults believe the use of illicit drugs is a serious problem in the area where they live – the second highest rate across all 27 EU member states and includes 20% who consider it a very serious problem.
Only Portugal has a higher rate at 68% while the EU average was considerably less at 39%.
The Eurobarometer poll, which surveyed almost 25,700 people across the EU, including over 1,000 in the Republic, also revealed that 54% of Irish people believe drug dealing is a serious problem in their local area – the fifth highest rate in the EU after Portugal, Croatia, Luxembourg and Romania.
It showed that far more Irish people (46%) believe the problem has got worse in recent years than believe it has eased (12%).
The survey’s findings were underlined by the fact that they also revealed that Irish people are more likely to have used cannabis within the past 12 months than all other EU citizens.
Cannabis
They showed that 12% of Irish adults said they had consumed cannabis within the previous 12 months – twice the EU average rate of 6%.
Almost two-thirds of people in Ireland (63%) said it would be easy to obtain cannabis within 24 hours if they wanted the drug.
The results also suggested cocaine and heroin are easier to source in Ireland than any other EU country.
According to the survey, 57% of Irish people said they could obtain cocaine within 24 hours if they wanted, while 33% said the same in relation to heroin – the highest rates among the 27 EU member states.
In addition, 58% of people in Ireland said the availability and use of drugs where they lived had reduced the overall quality of life in their local area, while 42% said it made them feel unsafe near their home, school or place of work.
Almost two-thirds of Irish people (64%) claimed drugs are highly available and accessible.
There was also a sharp increase in the proportion of Irish respondents who believe children and teenagers taking drugs is a serious problem.
The latest survey shows 68% of Irish people expressed concern about the level of drug taking among young people compared to just 60% in a similar poll conducted in 2021.
It also revealed that 54% of Irish adults are concerned about the number of people smoking cannabis in public places with 47% concerned about the consumption of other drugs such as heroin, cocaine and new psychoactive substances in public.
Mental health problems and stigma related to drug use are considered the biggest impact of the use of illicit drugs on local communities by Irish people.
The survey showed mental health issues were cited by 84% of Irish people – the highest rate in any EU country and well above the EU average of 62%.
On a positive note, the results of the survey would suggest that the involvement of young people in drug dealing is considered less of a problem in Ireland than other EU countries.
They showed that 41% of Irish people claimed children and teenagers trafficking drugs was a problem in their local area.
Although still a high figure, it was the 4th lowest level across the EU and below the EU average of 49%.
