Response to drug addiction has been 'hopelessly inadequate': Hunter
Drug abuse and addiction are having a 'profound impact' says the local MLA.
SDLP East Derry MLA Cara Hunter has said the failure to tackle drug abuse and addiction is having a profound impact on communities across the North.
Ms Hunter was speaking following a series of reports highlighting the scale of the drug problem that exists here.
She said greater emphasis needed to be placed on services to help people dealing with addiction, including dual diagnosis.
East Derry MLA Ms Hunter said: “While we have undoubtedly had drug and addiction problems in communities across the North for some time, the devastating scale of the problem and the human impact has been laid bare in a number of recent high-profile media reports.
"It has been absolutely heartbreaking to listen to those dealing with addiction and their family members on the struggle to access adequate help and support.
“There are few families in East Derry who have not dealt with the scourge of addiction in some fashion and many people have lost loved ones as a result.
"Places like Coleraine, Limavady and many of our other towns and villages have been affected by this.
"People struggle with addiction for a number of reasons, we have a legacy of conflict, high rates of mental illness and high levels of unemployment that can all contribute to people developing addiction problems.
“The response to this issue has been utterly inadequate and we are further hampered by the lack of a functioning Assembly and Executive to deal with the issues that have recently been highlighted.
"I have long advocated the use of dual diagnosis to help people with addiction and it’s disappointing that these services are so difficult to access.
"Without proper support we will see more deaths and we must make addressing these issuing and ensuring proper care is in place one of the cornerstones of the reform of our health service."