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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE DURING HER VISIT TO THE DRUG AWARENESS GROUP

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE DURING HER VISIT TO THE DRUG AWARENESS GROUP ATHLONE, CO. WESTMEATH ON TUESDAY 19 MAY, 1998

Thank you for our very warm welcome – on this, my first visit to Athlone – as President. I am delighted to have this opportunity to meet with you - and to hear of your work in raising awareness of the dangers of drug abuse – and of the terrible damage it does to individual users – and to their families.

Young people turn to drugs for many reasons - social or recreational in some cases – peer pressure in other cases, or in a vain attempt to deal with difficult problems of life. Unfortunately, as you know all too well, drugs can and do take over the lives of these young people so that their very existence can seem to them to depend on getting their daily fix. The presence of drugs has had and is having a destructive impact on many communities. The effects of drug abuse – impinge on many people – on addicts – on parents who see their childrens' lives shattered by drugs – on people who are victims of drug-related crime - on children who find their play areas littered with syringes - they are all victims. The problem is a complex and difficult one – and one to which there are no easy or instant solutions.

Prevention of drug misuse needs a multi-disciplinary approach - requiring action in the areas of supply reduction - demand reduction - and increased access to treatment and rehabilitation programmes. While these can address the problems of existing users, there is an additional critical need to increase awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and to get the message across as early as possible and as often as possible. Drugs control users. Users do not control drugs. We want confident young people, who are in control of their lives and who are very well informed about the destructive control exercised by drugs and by the criminals who supply them – their motive is greed, their care or concern for the user, cynical, derisory and cruel. Because drug misuse is linked to other factors - including environmental - educational and social factors - a response based on treatment services alone will not solve the problem. Major elements in tackling the drug misuse problem are information and education - backed by community support and co-operation.

A vital element in the fight against drugs and related crime is partnership and co-ordination - not only between the relevant statutory agencies - but also between these authorities and voluntary groups and local communities. The Athlone Drug Awareness Group is one such partnership – between the statutory, voluntary and community bodies – and others in the community who are concerned about the problem in Athlone. The recent Drug Awareness Week was just one of the initiatives of the Group – since its establishment in 1996 – in their mission to highlight to problems associated with drug abuse.

The Midland Health Board, the Athlone Gardai, the Probation and Welfare Service – along with the generous sponsorship of Elan Pharmaceutical Technologies – deserve great credit for their involvement in the recent campaign. It shows the capacity of local authorities – and other bodies - to act as facilitators and to bring communities together - by helping to harness the spirit of solidarity - to ensure that efforts to defeat the problems of drugs and related crime will prove successful.

By my visit today – I would like to give recognition to the tremendous work that you have been doing – in encouraging the involvement of the people of Athlone – in partnership with the voluntary and statutory services – in developing strategies to reduce demand for drugs. I know that you have already mapped out a future course - which involves additional campaigns –working with residents associations, publicans and hoteliers – a drop-in centre for the vulnerable young people – and continuing you work with schools. The importance of education and prevention cannot be over-emphasised. Schools play an important role in drug prevention. The school provides an ideal setting where young people are receptive to health messages - and where life skills - such as assertiveness and high self esteem - can be encouraged - thereby enabling young people to improve their chances of making the best decisions - when faced with difficult lifestyle choices - in a difficult environment.

I want to commend you of what you have already achieved - in the short time since the Group started – and to wish you well in your future work. While it would be nice to think that we can all look forward to a time when - the need for a group such as yours will be a thing of the past – I do not think that it is a realistic wish in the short to medium term but we look forward to a time when the scourge of drugs will be part of our history rather than a baleful part of our present.