There has been a sharp decrease in the number of new patients presenting for treatment for heroin misuse in the Republic since 1996, according to a report published yesterday, writes Eithne Donnellan.
The report from the Health Research Board's Drug Misuse Research Division says the decrease indicates "a possible tapering off of the heroin epidemic".
It found the rate at which new addicts aged 15 to 39 sought treatment for abuse of heroin fell from 10 per 10,000 in 1996 to six in 1997 and has remained stable.
The number of heroin users presenting for treatment for the first time fell from 1,288 in 1996 to 888 in 2000. But the overall number being treated rose from 4,858 to 6,994 between 1996 and 2000.
Ahern and Blair awarded prize
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, have been awarded the inaugural Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights for their work in implementing the Belfast Agreement.
The $75,000 prize will be presented by the University of Connecticut on September 24th. A spokesman said: "If it is appropriate for the money to be received by the Taoiseach, he will be considering a number of charities."
Telephones down in Donegal
Eircom telecommunications throughout the Inishowen Peninsula in north-west Donegal were cut off yesterday after an underground cable was badly damaged.
"We suspect it was a third-party JCB that broke our cable in the Burt area," an Eircom spokeswoman said last night.