Addiction service highlights extent of heroin abuse.

The Matt Talbot Adolescent Services (MTAS) said urgent action is needed to tackle the "very frightening" upsurge in heroin use among teenagers.

Highlighting the gravity of the problem, MTAS manager Edel Foley said half of the 34 new referrals to their treatment service had tried to kill themselves in the months prior to admission. Ms Foley said 57% of 18 to 23-year-olds attending the Trabeg Services in MATS were currently smoking heroin as part of a mixture of drugs there were taking.

"Heroin did not feature in the drugs used by young people attending Matt Talbot adolescent services until 2006 and increasingly now it is becoming one of the drugs that young people use as part of their poly-drug experiences," she said.

"The onset of heroin use in young people under 18 years of age attending our service is very frightening and needs urgent attention and resources."

She said there had been eight reported heroin-related deaths in Cork this year, including a young person aged under 16.

Ms Foley said society had a "duty of care" to protect its children and young people. She said there were risks associated with heroin, including increased risk of overdose, "speedballing" (injecting heroin and cocaine together) and increased risk of bloodborne virus infection/transmission.

Ms Foley said that of the 34 new referrals to MATS in January 2009, 17 of the young people tried to commit suicide, all by hanging, three months prior to admission to their services.

She said they had also seen an increase in young people carrying weapons including knives and machetes.

"Evidence shows that there is a limited window of opportunity in which early interventions may be applied before young heroin users progress to problematic use," said Ms Foley.

She said there were only 28 detox beds for an estimated 14,500 heroin users in Ireland: "None of these detox beds are in Cork or the Munster area. Even more worrying for young people under 18 years is there are no beds available for medically managed detoxification programmes."

She said parents had other needs, including access to mental health services for their child and intensive support for themselves.

Ms Foley said the profile of young heroin users presenting to MATS show that most are early school leavers, all are involved in the criminal justice system and have difficult living situations.

Source: Cormac O’Keeffe, The Irish Examiner, 07/10/2009