Crack cocaine in the Dublin region - Health Research Board

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• An Garda Síochána could provide more information in PULSE to enhance ourunderstanding of cases where crack cocaine is involved in drug seizures.• As the study reveals, many users do not report their crack use to treatmentservices for fear of adverse consequences. In drug treatment centres, policies/procedures could be introduced to provide clients with reassurances that mighthelp to counter their fears of receiving sanctions (or some other form of punitiveresponse) as a result of revealing information about behaviours related to theirdrug problem.• Special methods, such as ‘capture-recapture’, are needed in order to estimatethe true number of crack cocaine users in Ireland. Currently, however, we do nothave the appropriate reporting procedures and data to facilitate such methods.• The improvement of data on the numbers of people who are diverted intotreatment from the criminal justice system could assist in developing the capacityof the various agencies of the criminal justice system in this respect. Data fromthe NDTRS suggests a low referral rate of drug users from criminal justiceagencies to the health services. It is not possible to determine from the data theproportion of those people who were referred to treatment by the respectivecriminal justice agencies, the gardaí, the probation service or the courts. Theimprovement of data on the numbers of people who are diverted to treatmentfrom the criminal justice system could assist in developing the capacity of thevarious agencies of the criminal justice system to link into health services andharm reduction initiatives thus enhancing partnership working in this respect.• There are also no routine data sources to record the physical and mental healthconsequences of crack use. As many crack users will already have sufferedprevious ill effects of opiate use, there is a need for continuous monitoring andcare provision for this group.• The involvement of young people in the illicit drug market needs to be investigated.• Research into the involvement in the illicit drug trade of non-Irish nationals asusers, dealers, couriers etc. needs further examination.• The issue of court sentencing in drug cases and drug-related cases needs to beexplored in more detail.Crack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy111
11.2 Responding to crack markets and crack-related crimeAlthough the city-centre location remains a key market for crack cocaine, all of theindicators used in this study point to a gradual spread of crack use throughout allLocal Drugs Task Force areas in the Dublin region. A number of factors may accountfor the emergence and increased availability of crack use. These include the increasedavailability of cocaine, and the involvement in the Irish drug market of non-Irishnationals who possibly have access to cocaine supply routes in West Africa and whoalso have the expertise in preparing crack cocaine. In addition, there is increaseddemand for crack from opiate users, some of whom may have previously used crackcocaine in the UK. This study provides evidence that Irish nationals have acquired theskills to prepare crack cocaine. However, the stigma associated with crack cocaineuse, coupled with its high price, appear to act as disincentives to growth in the spreadof its use. Given the demand for illicit drugs, and given the challenges faced by lawenforcement agencies in policing a largely hidden trade, reducing the supply andavailability of illicit drugs remains a difficult objective.There needs to be debate about the overall objective of law enforcement in thisarea. The relationship between supply reduction, demand reduction and harmreduction needs to be further conceptualised. Given the establishment of joint policingcommittees and local policing fora under the terms of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005and the National Drugs Strategy, the development of partnership-based approaches tocrack markets and crack-related crime can be progressed. A number of specific issuesarise from this study:• As drug markets consolidate over time, the challenges faced by law-enforcementagencies also intensify. However, it is argued in the international literature thatlaw - enforcement agencies could play an important role in intervening at theearly stage of a new market. For example, intensive policing and disruptionof open markets and so-called crack houses is an achievable goal. However,tackling the crack houses problem would require the gardaí, local authorities,private landlords and social services to work in collaboration with each other.• Evidence from in-depth interviews with crack users suggests that dealers aretargeting people in the vicinity of drug-treatment clinics. The policing of thisactivity is a sensitive issue because the presence of gardaí could deter drugusers from accessing such clinics. The need for an effective partnership responseto address this problem is highlighted, as is the need for treatment services toreport dealing activity in the vicinity of clinics, and the need for gardaí to respondquickly but in such a way that is sensitive to the importance of retaining usersin treatment. Drug dealing in such locations can be extremely detrimental totreatment approaches.112 Crack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy
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HRB Research Series6Crack cocaine i
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This publication should be cited as
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HRB Research Series publicationsto
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ContentsList of tables and figures
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7 Social consequences of crack use
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List of tables and figuresTablesTab
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AbbreviationsADRUGNDUHRBISCCSGLDTFN
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Glossary of termsBenzos: The street
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Executive summaryBackground and stu
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phone and buyers are directed to sp
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Part 1IntroductionCrack cocaine in
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In the light of these concerns, it
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extensive reporting in the US about
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Ten interviews were conducted with
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also offers potential to trace supp
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Part 2Crack cocaine in the Dublin r
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2.2 Criminal justice data - cocaine
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Prevalence of crack use among homel
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Local survey dataA survey in 2006 o
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Respondent 1: I’d say it’s stil
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3 Dublin crack cocaine market3.0 Ov
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sold on the street for as little as
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Like, I was down on M… Street in
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3.4 Marketing crackFour interviewee
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While crack was generally bought al
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• Although a number of dealers, o
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4.2 Crack use and genderAccording t
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From about 16 to 21 I would say - t
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Table 4.4Number of new cases who li
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5.2 Crack and other drugsMany of th
Page 62 and 63: Whether treated cases reported crac
Page 64 and 65: cases of intravenous cocaine use, t
Page 66 and 67: Table 5.5Number (%) of new cases wh
Page 68 and 69: Part 3Consequences of crack useCrac
Page 70 and 71: etween heroin, cocaine and crime. T
Page 72 and 73: So, they would talk about the kind
Page 74 and 75: Crack and prostitutionNine services
Page 76 and 77: On the other hand, reports from two
Page 78 and 79: often with a prevalence of opiate d
Page 80 and 81: The data provided by the NDTRS in S
Page 82 and 83: But you know it would be about kind
Page 84 and 85: So, debt is another significant iss
Page 86 and 87: 7.6 Key findings• A significant p
Page 88 and 89: There are considerable long-term ps
Page 90: 8.3 Psychological consequences of c
Page 93 and 94: 9 Treating crack use9.0 OverviewIn
Page 95 and 96: Some services were in a position to
Page 97 and 98: Both opiate-dependent and non-opiat
Page 99 and 100: • more outreach work to identify
Page 101 and 102: 10 Policing crack markets10.0 Overv
Page 103 and 104: local communities. There is growing
Page 105 and 106: He’d know me, I’d know him, you
Page 107 and 108: Table 10.1 Number of new cases who
Page 109 and 110: 108 Crack cocaine in the Dublin reg
Page 111: 11 Discussion and research implicat
Page 115 and 116: 11.3 Reducing the harm that crack c
Page 117 and 118: Shoplifting, burglary and robbery w
Page 119 and 120: Bourgois P (2003b) Crack and the po
Page 121 and 122: Furey M and Browne C (2004) Opiate
Page 123 and 124: Loughran H and McCann ME (2006) A c
Page 125 and 126: San Diego Police Department (1998)
Page 127 and 128: Appendix A:An evidence base for tre
Page 129 and 130: note that providing information on
Page 131 and 132: MedicationsA number of studies have
Page 133 and 134: interpersonal psychotherapy. Americ
Page 135 and 136: Jurisdiction Intervention/Descripti
Page 137 and 138: Jurisdiction Intervention/Descripti
Page 139 and 140: Appendix C:Recent HRB series public
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Crack cocaine in the Dublin region - Health Research Board

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