An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Gareth Scahill (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach

Today, I raise the European Union Drugs Agency's report that has been covered in national media today about the increased levels of ketamine and cocaine use in the country based on water surveys carried out in Ringsend, Dublin, that showed increased levels on Fridays and Mondays.
There is a new national drugs strategy and the focus is moving towards a public health approach, reducing harm, supporting recovery and improving healthcare access for people using. I do not believe that the education is working. The simple message of "Do not use drugs" is not working. The last survey in Ireland was published in 2019 and showed 24.4% of the population aged between 15 and 64 have used cannabis at some stage. There are further implications. Throughout the west of Ireland, I see the lack of Garda numbers having an impact on this issue. It will be very difficult to address this in all rural areas if there is no Garda presence on the ground. I call for a discussion in the House on the drugs strategy.
I also congratulate all of the voluntary committees throughout the country involved in hosting, setting up and organising St. Patrick's Day parades yesterday. In the absence of the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, I acknowledge St. Mary's College in Mullingar which brought home the Hogan Cup yesterday. My godson and nephew were involved. I congratulate them.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18