A needle exchange facility is expected to be made available to Westmeath’s estimated 24 intravenous drug users before the end of the Spring.
Though unconfirmed by the Midlands Regional Drugs Task Force (MRDTF ) before going to press, it is believed the National Drugs Strategy Team has green-lighted the MRDTF’s formal request for such a facility in Westmeath.
This will save the worst of the addicts from having to make a weekly trip to the Merchant’s Quay Project in Dublin for clean needles.
This harm reduction policy seeks to limit the spread of blood-borne diseases so prevalent amongst the intravenous drug-using community.
At the moment, there are believed to be around 150 heroin users each in Mullingar and Athlone.
These figures are best estimates from the Open Door facilities in the two towns and are based on those who have registered for methadone, those who smoke and sporadically attend and those who smoke or inject but “do not engage”.
It is believed amongst the professionals that up to eight percent of heroin users inject, which gives the figure of 24 for the county.
“I can’t say exactly how many intravenous users there are in Mullingar but it is happening,” said Mr Declan Hughes, Open Door Project’s lead addiction counsellor, who works on a daily basis with addicts at Mullingar’s drop-in centre .
As a coal-face worker, though, he is very supportive of the national drug strategy.
“It’s been in place for a number of years and it’s very positive,” he said.
“The MRDTF are doing very positive and powerful work.”
The National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD ) recently revealed drug users from Westmeath, Offaly, Longford and Laois are presenting at Dublin’s Merchant Quay needle exchange, which caters for an average of 150 to 170 clients per day. Needle exchange programmes are currently provided in only four of the 10 Regional Drug Task Force areas and these are concentrated in the Local Drug Task Force areas around large cities and towns.
