Tipperary is third highest in Ireland for people being treated for cocaine use

A new report has been released today by the Health Research Board which has found that in 2023 Tipperary had the third highest amount of people in the country seeking treatment for Cocaine addiction at 4.9% of all people entering treatment nationally.

In 2023, 3,722 cases of people in Ireland seeking treatment for cocaine use were recorded with powder cocaine as the main problem.

Almost eight-in-ten cases (77.6%) were male, while two-in-ten were female (22.4%) and the median age when entering treatment for powder cocaine was 31 years.

Powder cocaine cases resided in every county in Ireland. Almost half (47.1%) of all cases entering treatment for powder cocaine resided in County Dublin, followed by counties Cork (7.6%), Tipperary (4.9%) and Limerick (4.7%).

40.5% were in paid employment, while 49.3% were unemployed and 5.4% were homeless.

2.5% reported having ever injected but the most common route of administration for power cocaine was sniff/snort (97.6%).

The proportion of cases with polydrug use was 61.8% in 2023. The most common additional drugs among cases with powder cocaine as a main problem were alcohol (63.6%), cannabis (50.8%), and benzodiazepines (23.9%).