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Síochána is absolutely crazy. We need a policy change, and the Government needs to be brave about it. I raise the volume of drug-induced deaths purely because people are often so helpless that they will not seek help. That is the bottom line. There is a stigma … addicted to cocaine because of a lifestyle choice. In many cases these are middle class people who are purchasing this drug. I say as Chair of the sports committee that collectively as a society and all sporting organisations need to say enough is enough because

State knows, drugs are in every community across this country. They are almost in every bar and sports club and even workplaces. Whether people like it or not, drugs are all around us. Some people get away with using them on a recreational basis whereas others

issue, is now in every corner of this country. In every small village, every rural area and every small town in this country, drug addiction is an issue. There is absolutely no doubt about that and it is communities that are being affected … committee chair, will lead on this because we have to have a discussion in our sports clubs about addiction. Too many of our athletes are suffering from drug addiction. It is only when, as another colleague of mine said, you are in a pub, you see it seems

other sporting groups on it, but with all of that and the need to tackle the issue, the fact is that the biggest impact is still in disadvantaged, working class areas. We can walk up and down the streets and we will know who the drug dealers

life of crime and a life of drugs. To do that, we need targeted investment, co-ordinated supports and visible policing to restore safety and confidence in our communities. We need investment not just in education but in sports facilities, especially in our inner city. In the south

drugs. They were getting ready cash, which sounds attractive, but which, of course, ruined their lives in the long term. We are working to reincarnate, if you like, the RAPID programme we had in a previous era, which basically prioritised areas in terms of allocations to sporting facilities … sometimes councils will dispose land to clubs of various sporting codes with a view to affirming the importance of the development of sport. I have noticed on my travels around Dublin that there seem to be a lot of restrictive approaches to allowing clubs to fully develop facilities