A Rosslare Independent councillor has highlighted what he says is an alarming increase in drug and opioid use in the county.
Cllr Jim Codd sits on the Wexford and South Leinster Drugs Task Forces, and he rose the issue at the most recent district council meeting.
Ireland has the highest drug overdose-related deaths per million of population in Europe, four times that of the European average.
Speaking to South East Radio News, Cllr Codd said a wave is coming and we need to get out in front of it.
Mr Codd said, “What really, really frightens me is the availability of this relatively new synthesized opioids that have arrived, which is a cheap form of heroin, which can be sprayed on to various drugs. This is affecting our society in a frightening fashion. It can be many times more addictive and more important than the traditional heroin, and it is much, much cheaper. We must try to get ahead of this wave. We know it’s coming now, we’ve seen in America we’ve seen the huge numbers of deaths, 75,000 in 2023 from synthesized opioids. It’s here now & we need to get ahead of it.”
