Mattie McGrath: Warns of Drug Crisis and Lack of Supports in Clonmel
Mattie McGrath raised the escalation of drug use and the lack of mental health supports in Clonmel and wider County Tipperary, urging more drug support workers and visible community services. He described the open availability of crack cocaine and heroin, widespread begging and intimidation, and the high risk of relapse for people leaving rehab.
Local crisis in Clonmel
Mattie McGrath described Clonmel as being ‘almost out of control’, saying crack cocaine and heroin are openly available in the main street, with people begging, falling over and being abused. He warned that the street-level chaos intimidates shoppers and damages local businesses, and lamented the absence of a long-stay mental health bed in the area.
Calls for more support workers
He called for an all-hands-on-deck response and echoed the chief superintendent’s call at a recent GPC meeting for more drug support workers to work in liaison with Gardaí and other services. McGrath urged active, visible community support to remove drugs from the streets and to help people into and stay in rehab.
Prevention funding and national strategy
The transcript records ministerial references to the National Drug Strategy Reducing Harm and Supporting Recovery and to recent funding allocations. National drug treatment data for Tipperary in 2021 showed 380 treated cases for problem drug use (114 for cocaine) and 294 cases treated for problem alcohol use. Budget measures mentioned include £4 million in new development funding, references to £7 million for new developments and £1 million for monitoring, and an allocation of £1.5 million for a three-year drug prevention and education programme.
Housing, recovery and relapse
McGrath linked the housing crisis to the drug crisis, warning that many who reach rehab are at high risk of relapse because drugs remain widely available in the community. He emphasised the need to break the cycle by expanding community services, strengthening prevention work with schools and families, and increasing capacity in residential treatment.
Acknowledgement of services
While critical of gaps in resources, McGrath thanked stakeholders, including drug and alcohol task forces and community providers, for the work they are doing. He said good work is underway but that additional resources and coordinated support are urgently required to protect both vulnerable people and the wider community.
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The Minister, there are a number of drug support workers in County Tipperary and the supports available for young people in County Tipperary and what actions indeed you are taking along within Gaddishy Corner to deal with the growing drug and mental health problems which are intrinsically linked. Welcome to Gaddishy Corner in Clannmell and indeed all over Tipperary. Thanks Deputy McGrath for raising this issue. I have been to Clannmell and Tipperary and seen the great work that the services have done. The national drug treatment data shows that 380 cases were treated for problem drug use in Tipperary in 2021. Of these, 114 cases were treated for cocaine as the main problem and separately there were 294 cases treated for problem alcohol use. Drug services in Tipperary are provided by the HSE, the Regional Drugs and Alcohol Task Forces and Section 39 funded community and voluntary groups. I am providing a comprehensive report on these services for you Deputy McGrath. The Government's health-led approach to drug and alcohol use is set out by the National Drug Strategy Reducing Harm and Supporting Recovery. My priorities for this strategy are to strengthen prevention of drug and alcohol use, and associated harms amongst children and associated harms amongst children and young people and to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community. In Budget 2023, I secured £4 million in new development funding to expand the provision of drug and alcohol services to meet changing patterns of drug use and emerging trends. This investment will expand community-based drug and alcohol services, ensure sustainability and increase the capacity of residential treatment services, mitigate the impact of drugs on children, families and communities and strengthen drug monitoring and harm reduction. Full details are set out in the budget and I am committed to a health-led approach to drug use that promotes a compassionate and humane approach to people who use drugs, with addiction treated first and foremost as a public health issue. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister. Minister, every town and city in the country has been plagued with drugs over the last 18 months. The town of Clonmel, my own town, a fine town, the drug crisis has gotten almost out of control. It is so sad and we have no mental health support. We do not have one long-stayed bed. Crack cocaine and heroin are now openly available in the main street and cut a little to the main street. Unfortunate souls are seen begging, falling over, out of their minds, are being physically or verbally abused, are fighting amongst themselves. It is destroying themselves but it is also intimidating shoppers and therefore has a huge knock-on effect on the business of the town as well. It is so sad for those who do manage to make their way to rehab. There is a huge risk of falling back into the use of drugs because, as I said, there is such an availability and they are everywhere. And at nightclubs and every place else, it is very alarming. And I do not think we have had enough support workers. At the GPC meeting last week, the chief superintendent said he wanted to see more drug support workers. working in liaison with him to gather to the corner because it needs to have an all-hands-on-deck approach here and support from different sectors of society. A lot of very, very good and necessary work has been done. I want to thank all the stakeholders, the drug and alcohol task forces and everyone providing a service in this very, very difficult situation. As I said, we secured £7 million for new developments and £1 million was to strengthen monitoring of emerging drug trends and to expand community-based services as part of Community Services Enhancement Fund. In relation, I recently announced an allocation of £1.5 million for a three-year drug prevention and education programme. This is the first time that national funding has been made available for drug prevention. This programme is a key deliverable under the National Drug Strategy to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and related harm amongst children and young people. There is a lot of good work being done regarding schools, family and the general community. I want to thank all the stakeholders for the really great work that they are doing to prevent drug use as much as possible. I accept there is good work being done across the country but we just don't have the resources. We have to try and break the cycle because it is sad when more and more young people fall back into it after going through rehab. As I said, the housing crisis and drug crisis are inherently linked and that is a well known factor accepted by all people who review this area. As I said, we have to break the cycle and we have to try and impact it. Schools are doing their best, certainly yes, but after school then people seem after 18 or 17 to be at mercy of the waves really. And it is a huge problem and I wish I could stand up and talk about something more pleasant here this morning. But it is an appalling situation, as I said, in Cluermalla. And as I said, fine town, fine people, your second biggest inland town in the country, but we don't have the resources. They have the resources but they can't do it alone. They need the support workers and they need to be active and visible and seen and try and deal with this problem. To get it off the streets but above all to get these people out of drug taking habits and indeed to get them back into rehab. And try and get their lives back on track again. Because it is so sad to see unfortunate souls, as I said, around the street that don't know where they are or what they are doing and falling, as I said, and indeed intimidation. And it is desperate. They are all human beings and we need to look after them and try and mind them and have them in some modicum of safety. As well as the other people who share the street space with them. Good morning. The Government's health-led approach to drug and alcohol use is set out in the National Drug Strategy Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery. My priorities in the strategy are to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and associated harms amongst children and young people. And to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community. You have raised an issue that is impacting on lots of cities, towns and villages around the country. And what we have to do is to strengthen the drug monitoring and the harm reductions. And also mitigate the impact of drugs on children, families and the communities. And again, I want to thank all the various stakeholders from across many, many departments and Section 39 workers and many voluntary workers for the incredible work. And you are absolutely right, you know, there has to be a compassion to people who use drugs and there has to be a way forward. And again, I am just blown away by the great work that has been done by all these communities. MR. Thank you very much. Thank you. .
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