Cocaine Destroying Rural Ireland

Quitelife · 14-05-2023 10:10am #1

Every passing week in our rural part of the world in Munster theres some issue impacting our community due to Cocaine.

Last Sunday my wife had to help her friend whos 20 year old son headbutted his mother breaking 6 of her teeth because she wouldnt give him more money for cocaine.She is off sick from work and due to giving him all her money the past year or two is struggling to pay for dentures.

The traveller gang who sell all the drugs locally are doubling & Quadroupling dug debt amounts on a weekly basis to amounts that cant be possibly paid ensuring the cocaine addicts have to work for them . They also give out free sachets " taster offers" to 16/17/18 year olds going to pubs for the first time to snare them to a life of addiction.

5 or 6 suicides of young people over drug debts and failure to come off cocaine in past 3/4 years and a couple of deaths from brain aneryisms of middle aged users.

Local pubs already under financial pressure are closing down as older punters are afraid to go to pubs due to drug dealers intimidating any non drug users in the pub with pub owners also afraid of dealers.

Closed garda stations in most rural towns with inadequate drug squad operating from some far away central station . DRug dealers control swathes of Rural Ireland not the state.

Local TD Politicans dont seem to care , too busy above in Dublin as their constituenciey becomes more lawless with each passing year.

Threadbans

Yurt2

Glenomra · 14-05-2023 10:24am

Stark commentary but true. Attended a suicide of a young man just last week in rural Ireland. Man who progressed from casual user to part time dealing, to in increasing debt to Galway based gang, to gang house calls to his parents for the money owed . I know of 2 young girls who decided to go to Australia to avoid the incessant pushing of drugs when they're out socialising leaving their social circle regular drug users.

FishOnABike · 14-05-2023 10:39am

In the countryside other vermin are usually shot or poisoned!

SuperBowserWorld · 14-05-2023 11:02am

Edit ....cleanup.

No rural ireland anymore. Everyone has cars, good roads, high speed broadband. It's a globalized small country.

Vote for politicians who will fix the problems instead of politicians who latch onto non problems.

We need to grow up as a nation and stop deferring to church, UK, EU, tik tok, the housing "crisis", ... to solve our problems.

Educate your children over right Vs wrong. We've handed them over to social networks. What could possibly go wrong ?

People who think cocaine is cool should have to go talk and work with people who have to deal with the consequences of it.

Wanderer78 · 14-05-2023 11:42am

nationwide problem unfortunately, im hearing more and more older people also dabbling in it to, while having a few pints, this is a scary one, expect monumental problems from this!

Yurt2 · 14-05-2023 11:51am

This is not to minimise the ancecdotes you gave, but rural Ireland (and Ireland generally) has an addiction problem full stop.

We're a nation of boozers, and we drink too much. Cocaine is merely a bolt-on addiction to our primary one.

Addiction is a function of a lack of meaning in life, sadness and possibly unresolved trauma.

How do you solve this in rural Ireland? I wouldn't know where to start. Way more engagement with mental health services and if you're looking to the government to do anything it's to fund mental health services.

Wanderer78 · 14-05-2023 11:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595395#Comment_120595395

...unfortunately, we may never accept how much funding our health care system truly needs, in particular the psychological entity of it....

banie01 · 14-05-2023 12:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595359#Comment_120595359

This use is IMO particularly insidious. The coke fuels more drink and more drink fuels more coke. I know of lads in their 60's who's social pints have turned into this mode of rolling the dice on a heart attack. I know lads in their 30s and 40s who have lost that gamble, a couple of deaths too.

Glenomra's point on it being a driver of suicide and of emigration. Are in my experience quite true, we are I think both around Limerick I am in the city. I don't think we know each other IRL but we no doubt have a degree of crossover in people & stories we know. It's a point I make every time suicide is discussed. Our reporting is being massively skewed by coroner's both having their hands tied by onerous requirement before they will label a death as suicide. It most be be almost to a criminal level of proof before a coroner will declare anything other than misadventure.

That may be somewhat of a salve to the families (I don't believe it ever really is) but it hamstrings our suicide and mental health charities when making representations to government.

2020 and the late reporting/recording of deaths has Ireland's No of Suicides at 399. Parse that against the figures for self harm, overdose and other self inflicted injuries over the same period. Then anecdotal as it may be, try to reconcile that against people local to you, known to have taken their own lives. I know in my personal experience the difference is stark.

There needs to be an acknowledgement of the extent of the Suicide/Self harm crisis. Realistic and accurate reporting of those numbers and comparing them with (as a broad example) the road death numbers and ensuring a similar effort is made to reduce fatalities is sorely needed.

It's not a rural problem and I'd agree that the notion of rural Ireland as a homogeneous culture as it was even as recently as 30yrs is long gone. It's an Irish problem that needs a clear eyed assessment and an honest discussion.

hoodie6029 · 14-05-2023 12:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595395#Comment_120595395

Very well said. We are a country recovering from, just recently, the trauma of Church control of our lives, emigration and the most recent horrific recession.

Historically not being open about our feelings and desires.

There is also the pressure on young people to conform to the norm here in society - be good at sports, marry and have children, stay in your local area.

All these reasons, and a million others,drive people to want to escape and experiment with drugs.

Richard Hillman · 14-05-2023 12:37pm

It's probably easier for a small time dealer to get away with things if they have a decent network of people.

It's pretty easy to spot the dealers in Dublin, as they hang out in the streets in full view, wearing Canada Goose jackets.

Rural Ireland is a bit of a wasteland for adult sport. The GAA tend to discard them when they hit around 18 and it turns serious, as opposed to participation. Football is the same to be fair.

Very quickly, they go from active teenagers to drinkers, gamblers, drug users with little else to do. And their friend network are probably in the same boat.

I genuinely think the emphasis on team sports in the country is dragging it down. Most peoples relationship with the sports (including myself) goes from active participant to spectator in a pub or stadium very quickly. It usually involves booze too.

Whereas, if you are a cyclist, you are always a cyclist. If you are a swimmer, you are always a swimmer. If you are a runner, you are always a runner. If you are a golfer, you'll always be a golfer.

If you are a GAA or Rugby player, the vast majority pack it in at around 16-18. Football is slightly different in that there are more recreational options with astro pitches etc (and those a privately owned or council)

The big 3 sports organisations completely fail young adults. They have no interest when they believe you won't play for the country, province, country at the high level. They want you in the stands buying tickets or getting drunk in a pub as a spectator.

BrianD3 · 14-05-2023 12:45pm

According to the EMCDDA stats below, we are 2nd worst in the EU for cocaine usage. However, 4.8% of 15-34 year olds using cocaine in the last year doesn't seem overly bad to me, is 1 in 20 young people using cocaine really indicative of rural Ireland being "destroyed".

https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/03/28/kicking-europes-cocaine-habit-which-countries-in-the-eu-are-the-worst-hit-by-addiction

orangerhyme · 14-05-2023 12:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595526#Comment_120595526

Lots of GAA clubs will have a B or even a C team.

It's all about participation. They just want you to turn up and play at a level that suits you.

HildaOgdenx · 14-05-2023 1:13pm

Mod - Thread moved to CA where it's more suited.

Local charter now applies.

maninasia · 14-05-2023 1:35pm

Know of one pub in rural Munster, basically a tiny village, not close to Limerick either, closed for exactly the reasons you said. Drug dealers took it over, basically owner had to shut it and abandon the business. Still empty to this day.

SuperBowserWorld · 14-05-2023 1:44pm

I think the alcohol industry should assume some liability for the cocaine issue and contribute to a solution. Alcohol is the gateway drug. We have not learned to deal with alcohol in this country. Until we do that we have not a hope in hell with dealing with cocaine.

I also think we were better off as hunter gatherers 😁

Glenomra · 14-05-2023 1:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595526#Comment_120595526

But it's an activity not confined to ex GAA, rugby and soccer players. Players at an elite level and players with a casual involvement in team sports.That's certainly not the case. It involves active team players and mentors, active cyclists, swimmers, mountain climbers, surfers etc etc. Across different age groups and classes. Users include teachers builders, doctors solicitors, counsellors, politicians the unemployed etc etc. It's endemic.

Galwayguy35 · 14-05-2023 1:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595241#Comment_120595241

Everyone in rural Ireland has good roads and high speed broadband?

You are having a fookin laugh if you believe that.

Yurt2 · 14-05-2023 1:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595550#Comment_120595550

An addict, be it alcohol, cocaine or something else drags everyone around him/her down. Parents, kids, siblings, friendship groups, work colleagues are all impacted even if the individual rationalises they are "only harming themselves".

For every 1 addict you can probably take it for granted there's at least 5 people setting themselves on fire trying to help them. And it's often out of a misguided love.

The only person that can drag an addict out of the fire is the addict themselves. There needs to be some sort of infrastructure, be it medical or psychological, but they're only people that can really do it.

I've gone to the well before to spoon-feed an addict getting better. It's like looking into the void, unless they want it themselves, you're only harming yourself trying to go too far trying to help them. I know that sounds bleak, but it's what I've found.

tesla_newbie · 14-05-2023 1:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058296404/cocaine-destroying-rural-ireland

Might this be a midlands story ?, I know the drugs trade is dominated by tinkers in the midlands

good luck expecting that to be properly reported by media so any increased focus is unlikely to occur

Yurt2 · 14-05-2023 2:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595811#Comment_120595811

Here, people of all classes and walks of life are involved in the cocaine supply chain and keep it spinning. And there's no need to use that word to describe travellers whatever you think of them. Keep it to yourself.

tesla_newbie · 14-05-2023 2:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595817#Comment_120595817

I was merely asking was it a personal story of a person in the midlands, hence why I specifically stated that tinker’s control the drug trade in the midlands, that’s an indisputable fact , it’s also why the story - problem won’t receive any scrutiny

Richard Hillman · 14-05-2023 2:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595765#Comment_120595765

Yes, you are correct. I'm just saying that a lot of people when they hit around early 20s that they don't really have much incentive to stay fit and healthy (even though they should regardless).

I just think people lose a lot when they hit their early 20s. They might have good jobs or ok jobs but the culture of going out and getting shitfaced on Friday or Saturday, is big because they don't really have much going on on Saturday and Sunday morning.

I say this from my own experience. I used to use a lot of cocaine in my early 20s. Exercising on a Saturday/Sunday was an alien concept to me.

I wouldn't touch cocaine now. I have friends that don't get out that often and when they do there is a mandatory bag with them. I don't go out with them if they are using. Even at weddings they are using, which I find completely out of order.

It's very hard to un-normalize something unfortunately.

Strumms · 14-05-2023 2:25pm

The only way to disincentivise or de-normalize coke is to prosecute and jail users as well as dealers/importers. Anyone and everyone with it.

the reality is……

people don’t have fear to be in possession of it.

people now don’t have fear to be consuming it openly at the sink in their local pub or nightclub say.

Sure look at the dealers ! One lad…Sentenced to 3 years with final 18 months of that suspended.

a cocaine dealer who probably only likely to do 11/12 months…

there is no deterrent for users, little deterrent to dealers.

Yurt2 · 14-05-2023 2:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595905#Comment_120595905

Jailing users is a massive waste of time, and we'd need a prison system the size of somewhere like the UK or Germany before we'd even start thinking about it.

It's not even a starter.

banie01 · 14-05-2023 2:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595905#Comment_120595905

Can you give an example of any country where the wholesale prohibition of drugs, prosecution of dealers and users has borne out to be a success?

SuperBowserWorld · 14-05-2023 2:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595795#Comment_120595795

😁 Sorry, I mean access to good roads and internet access. But my main point is that we are no longer a rural country.

Strumms · 14-05-2023 2:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595952#Comment_120595952

You can find that by googling yourself…lots of countries…

not prosecuting people who are engaging in criminal acts with criminal gangs and dealers in the procurement and supply and use of cocaine is a total failure…..right here, right now.

banie01 · 14-05-2023 2:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595978#Comment_120595978

You're the one making the point that extensive prohibition will make a difference. I'm asking you what bears that out. I'm not trying to be smart, it wasn't a trick question but great to see you swerve it anyway.

Dyr · 14-05-2023 3:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120595952#Comment_120595952

Japan, Signapore. Most of Asia. Drug use in the Philippines dropped by 50 per cent under Duerte.

The countries in Europe that have the harshest penatlies for drug use tend to have lowest problems, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Poland

Of course, we in Ireland when given the choice between doing something that will actually address the issue and something that will make a few people feel good about themselves, will always choose the latter.