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Irish cocaine use ‘may have peaked’

Cocaine use may have peaked in Ireland, latest figures suggest.

While researchers said it is too early to tell for sure, a turnaround in the trends could point to long-term dwindling demand after the excesses of the Celtic Tiger years.

A report into drug use across Ireland shows declining numbers of young people in the 15-to-24-year-old age group taking the illicit substance, which soared in popularity during the boom.

But alongside this, the findings from the island-wide survey show cocaine is now more prevalent among 25-to-34-year-olds, and its use has also steadied or "stabilised" among this age bracket.