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Drugs campaign targets 18 - 30 year olds
A new poster campaign focusing on the dangers of illegal
drug use was launched today by the Health Promotion Agency
for Northern Ireland (HPA). The posters which are aimed at
18-30 year olds will go on display in pubs and nightclubs
across Northern Ireland.
Victoria
Creasy, Senior Manager for Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco at
the HPA,
said: “In Northern Ireland, almost one
in three people aged between 15 and 34 have taken illegal
drugs in their lifetime, with young men especially likely
to have done so.1 It is vital to continue to highlight
the serious health risks presented by drugs, as well as
the negative
impact which drug use can have on people’s lives.”
Recent statistics have shown that although the use of illegal
drugs is lower in Northern Ireland than in other parts of
the UK, there has been an increase of 24% in the number of
people presenting for drug treatment in the last year with
61% of all users seeking help aged under 30 and a quarter
(24%) aged under 20. The most common drug of misuse in Northern
Ireland is cannabis with almost two thirds (64%) of individuals
presenting for treatment reporting misuse of cannabis, followed
by ecstasy, benzodiazepines, cocaine and heroin.2
Victoria continued: “We
need to challenge and dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings
about drugs and their
effects. One of the posters addresses cannabis use, which
remains the main drug of choice in Northern Ireland, yet
many people are unaware that cannabis use can lead to mental
health problems such as depression, paranoia and anxiety.
Another of the posters tackles cocaine use, which has seen
an increase in the past year, and highlights that cocaine
users are putting themselves at risk of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis
C or even HIV.”
The campaign also covers the general risks associated with
drug use such as drink spiking, not knowing what other harmful
substances drugs may contain, the dangers of mixing drugs
and alcohol and the threat to personal safety while under
the influence of drugs.
END
This
initiative is funded by the Northern Ireland Drugs and
Alcohol Strategy.
1
Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland: 2002/2003 Drug
Prevalence
Survey: Health
Board (Ireland) & Health and
Social Services Board (Northern Ireland) Results (Revised).
www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/publications/2005/Drug_Prevalence_Survey_Bullet2-revised.pdf
2
Northern Ireland Drug Misuse Database: 1 April 2004 – 31
March 2005, NISRA: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/publications/2005/drugstats-04-05.pdf
For media
enquiries contact: Rosie McGaughey at the HPA – Tel:
028 9031 1611
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