Report to: Task Force on Drug Abuse.

The aim of this report was to examine the extent and type of drug abuse in the Eastern Health Board area up to 1982. The author gathered data from health professionals, legal sources, educational sources and from voluntary agencies, in order to establish current trends in drug misuse. Evidence from Garda Drugs Squad and National Drugs Advisory Centre reports confirmed that an epidemic of drug abuse in Ireland (p.1), even though it should be noted that these sources only represented those drug users who had come to the notice of the Gardai or who were getting treatment for their addiction. The author states that evidence from the other sources consulted appeared to confirm this finding, and concluded that drug abuse was an increasing problem in the Eastern Health Board area