The Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act 2024 was enacted on 11 March 2024.¹ The purpose of the Act is to provide for offences relating to the engagement of a child in criminal activity. Section 2 of the Act addresses engagement of children in criminal activity, while Section 3 makes amendments to the Schedule of the Bail Act, 1997.

Published in June 2024, the latest report from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) presents data on treated problem drug use (excluding alcohol) for the year 2023, as well as trends for the seven-year period from 2017 to 2023.¹

Key findings, 2023

In 2022, some 12,009 cases were treated for problem drug use.² This is the highest annual number of cases recorded by the NDTRS to date. Almost 4 in 10 (37.1%) of those cases were never treated before, while almost 7 in 10 (68.9%) cases were treated in outpatient facilities.

A recent study by Kelly et al.¹ aimed to understand how different factors within community-based opiate-prescribing services affect the overall work environment. The study examines how clear each organisation’s goals are, how well the team works together, how much freedom staff have, and how open each organisation is to change. The goal was to identify what makes a good work environment in these services and how to improve it.

The Health Research Board (HRB) has published its second report on deaths among people who were homeless at the time of death.¹ The report describes deaths that occurred in 2020 and contains updated figures for deaths in 2019.² The report follows on from research originally commissioned by the Department of Health, which examined deaths in 2019 among people who were homeless.³

Background

The HRB collects data on all deaths among people who were homeless at the time of death in order to better understand and prevent premature death among people who are homeless. The data are extracted from closed coronial files nationwide using the methodology of the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI), even if the deaths do not meet the standard NDRDI inclusion criteria.⁴ The NDRDI validates these data with the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive through its Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS).

The HIPE (Hospital In-Patient Enquiry) scheme is a computer-based health information system, managed by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in association with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. It collects demographic, medical, and administrative data on all admissions, discharges, and deaths from acute general hospitals in Ireland. Each HIPE discharge record represents one episode of care; each discharge of a patient, whether from the same or a different hospital, with the same or a different diagnosis, gives rise to a separate HIPE record. The scheme therefore facilitates analysis of hospital activity rather than of the incidence of disease. HIPE does not record information on individuals who attend emergency departments but are not admitted as inpatients. Monitoring of drug-related acute emergencies in the Irish context refers to all admissions for non-fatal overdoses to acute general hospitals in Ireland.

On 9 November 2023, Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) was made aware of an overdose cluster in Dublin, with 24 cases notified throughout the day and another 10 cases the following morning. This triggered an urgent review across a number of information sources to identify possible signals of change on the Dublin drug market.¹ Data were monitored by the HSE on 9–12 November, and a total of 57 non-fatal overdoses were recorded during this period. Analysis by Forensic Science Ireland of a sample obtained by An Garda Síochána on the evening of 10 November confirmed the emergence of nitazenes in a light brown/sandy-coloured powder on the Dublin heroin market, which resulted in the HSE issuing a Red Alert for the city. The nitazene was later confirmed as N-pyrrolidino protonitazene (protonitazepyne), which was a first identification for Ireland and a substance under intensive monitoring by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). Samples were also found to contain caffeine, paracetamol, benzoic acid, and mannitol.²

Pharmacy needle exchange in Republic of Ireland

The current national drugs strategy (2017–2025) aims to reduce harms arising from substance misuse and to reduce the prevalence of blood-borne viruses among people who inject drugs (PWID) through the expansion of needle exchange provision to include community pharmacy-based programmes. In October 2011, the HSE rolled out the national Pharmacy Needle Exchange Programme, which is a partnership initiative between the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Irish Pharmacy Union, and the HSE. Once pharmacies have signed a service level agreement with the HSE, their contact details are passed on to the relevant HSE services so they can promote access to sterile injecting equipment at the participating pharmacies and accept referrals for investigation and treatment. There are pharmacies providing needle exchange in each Regional Drugs and Alcohol Task Force (RDATF) area, apart from those covering Counties Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow, which are served by a mix of static and outreach needle exchange programmes.

In January 2024, addiction services warned of a concerning increase in the use of ketamine in Ireland. In 2023, Revenue seized 41.2 kg of ketamine, valued at €2.47m. The drug, known for its use as a horse tranquiliser, has become popular among revellers at festivals and parties. In 2022, Revenue seized 7.86 kg of ketamine, while in 2021 officers seized 25.19 kg of the drug.¹ A letter to the editor of the Irish Journal of Medical Science (IJMS) by the HSE National Social Inclusion Office noted that ketamine has become a prominent feature of recreational drug repertories in Ireland, often used in combination with other ‘club drugs’ for stimulant and euphoric effects when socialising.²

Background

In 2022, the HSE, in partnership with Merchants Quay Ireland, collected 165 used syringes from the Dublin and Midlands regions during September and October. Residual drugs were extracted from these syringes and the data obtained were used to compare drug trends from the two regions.

The Syringe Analysis Programme is the first of its kind in Ireland and enables the HSE to identify temporal and geographical trends annually as part of its emerging drug trend monitoring. Analysis of 235 drugs and metabolites was performed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.

These analyses spanned a wide range of substances, such as opiates (including new synthetic opioids), benzodiazepines, amphetamines, cocaine, new psychoactive substances (NPS), Z-drugs, gabapentinoids, ketamine, and various cutting agents. In 2023, the HSE published a report¹ detailing the findings from the 2022 analysis programme; it also compared 2022 programme results to findings from a syringe analysis programme conducted in 2021. The main findings are discussed below.