This 2022 overview analyses prevalence, trends, and harmful consequences of alcohol and other drug use among children and young people aged 15–24 years in Ireland.¹ The overview is a collation of published literature (both Irish and international), data from national information systems, and survey data specifically focusing on young people or where the survey or publication included young people. The overview also examined potential risk and protective factors that may influence substance use, along with responses to substance use and policies and legislation that govern alcohol and drug use in Ireland.

Changes in cannabis control are apparent in the Americas and more recently in Europe. These changes are not without their challenges. They have the potential to undermine the value of international laws and agreements more broadly. Where the motivation for changing policy is to reduce the harms caused by the status quo, the situation will need to be closely monitored and evaluated to ensure these outcomes are being achieved. Any unintended negative outcomes will also need to be monitored and minimised with the rollback or amendment of policies as necessary. A rigorous evidence base will be required to support these decisions. Reducing the harms will need to remain central to the policymaking and legislative process, and not be usurped by the business interests of the cannabis industry.

CND is the central drug policymaking body of the UN. It aims to provide member states and civil society with the opportunity to exchange expertise, experiences, and information on drug-related matters and to develop a coordinated response to the drugs situation. Membership is made up of representatives from 53 UN member states, allowing for a spread of geographical representation. Ireland is not currently a member of CND.

The recently published Health Research Board overview on substance use among young people included some encouraging trends in relation to alcohol consumption. The age at which people start to drink has increased and more adolescents are abstaining from alcohol. In this issue of Drugnet, the overview’s lead author reviews recent international literature on the topic of changing alcohol consumption behaviour. Explanations for these changes include increased parental awareness of the harms associated with early initiation of alcohol use, a greater emphasis on wellbeing among young people, and more time spent socialising online resulting in fewer opportunities to consume alcohol with peers.

A new Health Research Board (HRB) study examines 3,000 cases treated for problem gambling in Ireland between 2008 and 2019.¹ The study published in May 2022 in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine is the first Irish national study using routinely gathered health surveillance data to describe treated problem gambling.

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug by young people, with adolescents traditionally using alcohol as a rite of passage to adulthood. A key period for experimentation and risk-taking, it is also a particularly risky time to do so, not only because of the impact alcohol can have on the developing brain but also due to early alcohol initiation increasing the risk of hazardous and harmful drinking in the future.^1–4

The Covid-19 pandemic, declared in March 2020, has had a profound impact on the lives of people worldwide, particularly on mental health, as lockdowns resulted in lost incomes, health fears, and isolation, all of which are risk factors for increased mental health problems and alcohol use. Alcohol use as a response to stressful life events increases an individual’s risk of developing alcohol problems.¹ In addition, it weakens the immune system, which in turn reduces immunity to viral infections such as Covid-19.^2,3 Studies carried out earlier in the pandemic indicated that older people were more likely to have increased their alcohol use, with stress and depression cited as reasons for the increase.^4,5 A cross-sectional study in Ireland aimed to determine the drinking motives and changes in alcohol use later in the pandemic during the second lockdown, in October–December 2020, along with psychopathological symptoms.⁶

In March 2021, the Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy, with the support of the British Embassy in Dublin, launched a report examining serious and organised crime in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK).¹ The aim of this report was to conduct a qualitative assessment of information that was publicly available about serious and organised crime to determine how criminality occurs across and between Ireland and the UK. The report considers methods and activities that make up serious and organised crime along with the wider criminal markets where criminal behaviour takes place. It focuses on three issues: human trafficking, drug trafficking and economic crime.

Alcohol consumption in Ireland is high. It is approximately 35% higher than the Health Service Executive (HSE) low-risk drinking guidelines¹ and is associated with a considerable burden of health and social harm, with the the Health Research Board's National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) reporting three alcohol-related deaths daily in 2017.² Effective policy decision-making relies on robust evidence of the health impact of alcohol, and one source of such evidence is the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.

Published in June 2022, the latest National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) report presents trends in treated problem drug use (excluding alcohol) for the seven-year period from 2015 to 2021.^1,2

The Adolescent Addiction Service (AAS) of the Health Service Executive (HSE) provides support and treatment in relation to alcohol and drug use for young people and families from the Dublin suburbs of Ballyfermot, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Lucan, and Inchicore. Services provided include advice, assessment, counselling, family therapy, professional consultations, and medications if required. In 2022, AAS published a report detailing referrals for 2021.¹

In January 2022, An Garda Síochána (AGS) published their annual report for 2020.¹ This article first reports on activities related to national policing, followed by national security and intelligence, community safety, and finally statistics for detections of incidents related to the sale and supply of drugs and Garda drug seizures for 2020.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published the European drug report 2022: trends and developments¹ on 14 June 2022. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview and summary of the European drug situation up to the end of 2021. The Health Research Board (HRB) provides the Irish data and research for the EMCDDA report.

On 11 November 2021, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD launched the report Informing and supporting change: drug and alcohol misuse among people on probation supervision in Ireland.^1,2,3 The report was written by Dr Louise Rooney of University College Dublin.² The study built on research examining alcohol and drug misuse in individuals referred for probation supervision in 2011/12.⁴ The aim of the current research was to examine the prevalence of alcohol and substance misuse in similar subjects with the view to developing best practice and to help manage and prioritise Probation Service resources.²

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of 192 non-governmental organisations.¹ It focuses on issues related to drug production, trafficking, and use, promoting objective and open debate on the effectiveness, direction, and content of drug policies at national and international levels. The network supports evidence-based policies that are effective at reducing drug-related harm.

The Danger of Viral Exposure (DOVE) Service in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin was established to meet the specific needs of pregnant women who have or are at risk of blood-borne or sexually transmitted bacterial or viral infections in pregnancy. Exposure may also occur through illicit drug use. Figures from the service for 2020 were published in the hospital’s annual report in 2021.¹

A visiting committee is appointed to each prison in Ireland under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act 1925 and the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order 1925. Members of the 12 visiting committees are appointed by the Minister for Justice for a term not exceeding three years. The function of prison visiting committees is to visit, at frequent intervals, the prison to which they are appointed and hear any complaints that may be made to them by any prisoner. They report to the Minister for Justice regarding any abuses observed or found, and any repairs which they think are urgently needed. Prison visiting committee members have free access, either collectively or individually, to every part of the prison to which their committee is appointed. Information from prison visiting committee reports relating to drug use in prisons for 2020 is summarised below.¹

The UK–Ireland Alcohol Research Network (AcoRN) held the third in a series of webinars on 13 April 2022 examining alcohol availability. Previous webinars focused on alcohol marketing (November 2021) and alcohol and policymaking (February 2022). The event was chaired by Dr Sheila Gilheany of Alcohol Action Ireland and the three speakers gave an insight into alcohol availability both in Ireland and in the United Kingdom.