The nature of the drug phenomenon is changing rapidly, and recent years have seen a marked increase in the use of stimulants and dissociative substances. Geopolitical changes, the emergence of new trafficking routes, and other supply-related factors add further complexity. The dangers posed by polydrug use and the emergence of new synthetic drugs means that we will need to develop more timely sources of information, linked to risk communication systems, and more responsive harm reduction strategies, particularly in recreational settings. While we need to continue to respond effectively to the current situation, much of our focus must be on developing preparedness and anticipatory capacity in this constantly evolving field. 

The retrospective review by Lynn et al.1 sought to investigate mortality in homeless individuals in Ireland during 2019. This was a feasibility study aimed at developing a greater understanding of premature mortality among the homeless using the National Drug-Related Death Index (NDRDI), an epidemiological database. The study was commissioned by the Department of Health and sought to provide more complete and accurate data to help inform policy. It is the first Irish study to examine the number and causes of homeless deaths nationally. 

Five projects are to receive funding over the next 3 years under the Department of Health’s National Drug Prevention and Education Funding Programme. The fund aims to increase the delivery in Ireland of prevention programmes that are supported by evidence and adhere to international prevention standards.1,2 The five funded organisations and their projects are outlined in Box 1. 

They will be delivered in school, third-level, youth work, and community-based settings. To mark the start of the funding programme, representatives of the five projects met with statutory and non-statutory stakeholders working in the field of prevention at an event hosted by the Department of Health on 6 June 2023. 

The MyUSE Research Group in University College Cork (UCC) is to receive funding over the next 3 years under the Department of Health’s National Drug Prevention and Education Funding Programme. The funding programme aims to increase the delivery in Ireland of prevention programmes that are supported by evidence and adhere to international prevention standards.1,2

Background

In May 2023, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, signed Section 12 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 into law, aligning alcohol products with other food and beverage products that already contain health information and, where appropriate, health warnings.1,2 Ireland now leads the world in the introduction of health labelling on alcohol products; no other country in the world has such comprehensive labelling. 

To include the voices of young people at the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use, youth consultations were carried out on behalf of the Department of Health.1 A report on these consultations was published in May 2023 in advance of the second meeting of the Citizens’ Assembly.2 

Aims and methodology

The consultations aimed to give young people a voice at the Citizens’ Assembly. To meet this aim, the views of young people on the impact of drug use on their lives, families, and communities were explored, as well as their suggestions for appropriate responses to address the harms caused by drug use. There were two strands to this work – a group consultation and a survey – which intended to capture the views of young people with differing levels of exposure to drug use. 

A new strategic action plan for the delivery of the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, for 2023 through 2024, was published in June 2023.1,2 

Context of action plan 

The action plan represents the latest phase in the lifetime of the strategy, which at the time of its publication in 2017 was accompanied by a shorter-term action plan (2017–2020).1 A midterm review of the strategy was undertaken in 2021 and its findings informed the development of six new strategic priorities for the remainder of the strategy.3 Six Strategic Implementation Groups (SIGs) were established to drive delivery of these priorities. The new action plan represents the output of their work in agreeing a set of actions for the six groups and associated deliverables for five of them. (SIG 4 did not list any deliverables.) Overall, the new action plan represents a continuation of earlier commitments and outputs from the national drugs strategy. 

A process evaluation of Planet Youth in the Western Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force (WRDATF) area was published in July 2023.1 The evaluation documents the outputs from the project to date and explores the views of stakeholders on the project’s implementation and structures. This article presents the international and national contexts to Planet Youth and the Icelandic model, as well as an overview of some of the evaluation’s findings and a reflection on the implications for Planet Youth in the WRDATF and elsewhere in Ireland. As with the evaluation, it considers the role of Planet Youth in the WRDATF moving forward – whether it continues to focus on generating and promoting data or to shift the focus of its resources to deliver on a broader range of its objectives.2 

Background 

There has been much debate around the liberalisation of cannabis laws both in Ireland and internationally. The recreational use of cannabis has been legalised in 23 states in the United States (US), in Canada, and in Uruguay. 

While no national government in Europe supports legalisation of cannabis sale for recreational use, a new coalition government in Germany agreed in late 2021 to regulate the sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes, while Luxembourg has also announced that it will legalise the production, sale, and consumption of cannabis. 

A 2023 article by Durand et al.1 examined the impact of changes introduced to the delivery of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) on the number of people accessing treatment and treatment dropout during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is an important Irish study, as it directly examines OAT coverage and access during the pandemic. 

A 2023 study by Reddon and Ivers evaluated the association between levels of hope and rates of relapse following discharge from opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and/or detoxification programmes among those with opioid use disorder (OUD).1 This study adds to the body of evidence on hope levels and recovery, indicating that strategies that cultivate hope and empowerment may be an effective strategy to increase personal recovery capital and decrease relapse rates. 

Background 

In Ireland, Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular field sports in the country, with in excess of 1.5 million spectators viewing the Championship finals every year. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) manages and promotes all Gaelic games, while the Gaelic Players Association represents almost 4,000 male and female players. A study published in 2022 highlighted that hazardous alcohol use, including binge drinking, and alcohol-related harms are prevalent among elite Gaelic footballers and hurlers.1 The online survey used in the 2022 study included an optional free text section for the players to make any comments in relation to alcohol; these comments were then examined in a 2023 study.2 

Background

Emerging adulthood along with starting third-level education is a period of considerable change for young people. Newly independent, it is also a key time for them to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and sexual intimacy, which when combined increases the risk of sexual violence. 

The Self-Harm Assessment and Data Analysis (SADA) Project was set up in Ireland in 2016 to provide robust information relating to the incidence and profile of self-harm within prison settings as well as individual-specific and context-specific risk factors relating to self-harm. 

In addition, it examines patterns of repeat self-harm (non-fatal and fatal). Both the Health Service Executive’s National Office for Suicide Prevention and the National Suicide Research Foundation assist the Irish Prison Service with data management, data analysis, and reporting. 

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) operates according to a multi-year strategic plan that provides guidance and direction to the activities and ambitions of the organisation. 

In particular, the IPS strategic plan provides a narrative for the improvement and further development of all facets of healthcare during the prisoner experience. Key areas of focus are prisoner support for improving healthcare, enhancing psychological wellbeing, increasing rehabilitation support, and resettlement and integration. 

Published in June 2023, the latest report from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) presents data on treated problem drug use (excluding alcohol) for the year 2022, followed by trends for the seven-year period from 2016 to 2022.1

Key findings, 2022

In 2022, some 12,009 cases were treated for problem drug use.2 This is the highest annual number of cases recorded by the NDTRS to date. Almost 4 in 10 (37.1%) of those cases were never treated before, while almost 7 in 10 (68.9%) cases were treated in outpatient facilities.

A report from the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), entitled Progress in the Penal System (PIPS): a framework for penal reform (2022), was published in 2023.1 PIPS aimed to set out a clear vision for the future of the Irish penal system, taking as its starting point that Ireland, as a small wealthy country, should work towards becoming a leading model of international best penal practice. In total, 28 standards were assessed in 2022, including drug and alcohol treatment. 

Farming is a high-pressure occupation that carries numerous risks for farmers, many of which are beyond their control.1 In Ireland, this pressure is borne by a shrinking population of farmers, most of them older men, working on a declining number of farms.2 As a result of these pressures, some farming populations have a higher prevalence of mental health issues,3 while some populations of farmers are known to drink heavily.4

Background 

Problem gambling is a considerable burden on society as well as on persons who gamble and those around them. In Ireland, about one-half of the population (49%) gambles in some form, while 0.3% (or 12,000 people) engage in problem gambling and tens of thousands more are deemed at risk.1 

In 2022, legislation was introduced in Ireland to provide for the establishment of a new regulatory body – the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) – with a focus on public safety and wellbeing and including an addiction specialist within its members.2
Coinciding with the establishment of the GRAI, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) was commissioned to review relevant policy issues.3 

The Evaluation report on Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) was launched on 13 June 2023 by Minister of State James Browne TD.1,2 This was the first evaluation report on YDPs1 and was carried out by Research Matters Ltd between December 2021 and November 2022. The central aim was to create policy-relevant information relating to the structure, conduct, and impact of YDPs. 

Context of report

YDPs target young people aged 12 to 17 years who are part of communities with a detected need or where youths are at risk of continuing to be involved with the criminal justice system. 

On 16 December 2022, the Department of Justice provided an update on the progress made in addressing the objectives and key actions identified in the Youth Justice Strategy 2021–2027 (YJS).1,2,3 The YJS is centred on a developmental framework that aims to target ongoing and emerging challenges in youth justice in Ireland.2 A key strength of this strategy is that its development was informed by an expert steering group representing key stakeholders across Ireland. The implementation statement focuses on several strategic objectives identified in Appendix 3 of the strategy.2

As part of the What Works: Sharing Knowledge, Improving Children’s Futures initiative of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Minister Roderic O’Gorman TD launched the What Works Ireland Evidence Hub on 31 May 2023.1

What Works Ireland Evidence Hub

The What Works Ireland Evidence Hub is an online tool that enables users to search for prevention and early intervention (PEI) programmes that have been evaluated and found to improve one or more of a set of specified outcomes in children and young people. 
The target audience for the hub includes service commissioners, policymakers, practitioners, and evaluators. 

The Model of Care for Dual Diagnosis, approved by the Health Service Executive (HSE) Chief Clinical Officer Forum and endorsed by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, was formally launched on 23 May 2023 by Mary Butler TD, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, and Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy.1

The term ‘dual diagnosis’ is used to describe a person who presents with a simultaneous mental health disorder and a substance use disorder (SUD). However, dual diagnosis can often be defined in different terms internationally. While dual diagnosis is not unusual, research suggests that up to one-half of those attending HSE Community Mental Health Teams also have a comorbid SUD. 

Prevalence/current situation

Trends in public attitudes to permitting cannabis for recreational use: analysis of Irish survey data since 2002 
Mongan D, Millar SR, O’Dwyer C, et al. (2023) European Journal of Public Health, 
33(4): 627–632.
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/38555/ 

An occupation-based lifestyle lecture intervention as part of inpatient addiction recovery treatment: exploring occupational performance, balance and personal recovery 
Ryan D, Naughton M, de Faoite M, et al. (2023) Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 17: 11782218231165123. 
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/38560/ 

We were deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of John Bennett, Coordinator of the Finglas Cabra Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force (LDATF). John was a good friend to the HRB. In 2014, he presented the findings of the first two reports in the HRB’s Drug and Alcohol Review series and was involved in several other research and knowledge transfer projects. John was very respectful of the scientific aspect of drug response work but brought an extraordinarily broad frame of learning to his understanding of the topic. He was intellectually voracious and was as likely to refer to a work of literature, art or music as a journal article or report. He was serious, determined and committed to the interests of those who needed the services he managed. He also was very good fun, great company, and a curious and cultured man.