A £14 million plan to improve the Government's response to the drugs crisis will be introduced today by the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Employment, Mr Pat Rabbitte TD.
The plan has been produced by a ministerial task force charged with finding ways for the State to coordinate its approach to drug addiction.
It calls for greater co-operation among State agencies and new "community drug teams" to focus on the problem in the worst affected areas of Dublin and Cork.
The plan also recommends more effort be made to encourage GPs to become involved in prescribing methadone to heroin addicts, and calls for pharmacies to play a greater role.
In Dublin, the Eastern Health Board is to take the lead in coordinating the response of State agencies and local authorities to the drug problem. The report recognises that while drugs are prevalent in all parts of the country, there is a need to focus resources on areas of Dublin and north Cork, where addiction is greatest.
The report stresses the need for a structured approach to setting up treatment clinics in areas of the cities, so that local communities are involved in the decision to have a treatment centre in their area. Previously, community groups have resisted clinics which they felt were "imposed" by health boards. The report also examines the eviction of suspected dealers from local authority estates.
Ministers of State at the Departments of Education, Health, Environment and Social Welfare and Justice sat on the task force, chaired by Mr Rabbitte. The Government set up the group to consider longer term strategies for tackling the drugs problem, while it passed shorter-term measures in a series of crime packages during the summer.