'Shocking' - Fears Irish children as young as seven going to school high on drugs

Louth TD Paula Butterly was on Newstalk recently discussing her shocking discovery that children in Louth schools are involved with drugs from as young as seven years old.

Deputy Butterly said she visited three schools in Louth before Christmas time and was told shocking information from the teacher about their young students. 

The children are being used as drug mules, according to the Louth TD, and some children in Louth schools right down to the age of seven, are coming into the classrooms high, according to Paula.

“Now, if that wasn't shocking enough, they then went on to tell me about incidents where the children are actually being used as mules and they're being groomed by other children - well technically teenagers - and it's absolutely shocking.”

Deputy Butterly said that the children in question come from homes which are afflicted by addiction. 

“In a lot of cases, the mothers in particular, because perhaps the fathers aren't present, they are afflicted by addiction themselves,” she explained. 

“The teachers have tried to intervene with the families, help them along, but you know they can't do everything and they shouldn't be expected to.”

Statistics relating to child exploitation by children in the drug trade are “quite frightening”, according to Paula.

Youth diversion schemes tend to focus on children from 12 upward so Paula has urged the Government to consider widening the scope to those in primary school as well. 

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“We have a project there called the Green Town project, which is in Limerick, and I brought that to Minister O'Callaghan before Christmas,” she said. 

“It has had huge success in tackling the issue of child exploitation and criminal networks; I would like to see that rolled out in Drogheda.

“I would also like it rolled out at a national level because whatever is happening in Drogheda is happening in other towns,” Paula said on NewsTalk.