Bray Drugs Awareness Forum

05/06/2026

Drug and Alcohol Information and Support for Teenagers, Parents and Carers. Free, Confidential Live Chat. Advice and Support from Drugs.ie

04/06/2026

- Co***ne Kids : Prime Time RTE TV -

"Children are openly selling illegal drugs in Ireland's towns and cities, while some as young as seven years old are being groomed into working as drug mules, according to workers who deal with drug users and affected communities."

‘Co***ne Kids: Ireland’s child drug dealers,’ from Conor McMorrow and producer Lucinda Glynn will feature on Prime Time, tonight on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 9:35pm.

Children are openly selling illegal drugs in Ireland's towns and cities, while some as young as seven years old are being groomed into working as drug mules, according to workers who deal with drug users and affected communities.

03/06/2026

- BDAF Newsletter June 2026 -

Our BDAF newsletter has been published for June 2026.

Items covered include :

Update on our schools programme activity 2025 - 26.
Update on STEM programme activity.
General drug use stats for Ireland in 2025.
A report on the BDAF AGM 2026.
Publication of our Primary School Programme Annual Report.
A parental leaflet with information on vapes.
A report on Nitrous Oxide (Fast/Galaxy Gas) misuse.

A copy of the newsletter can be downloaded here :
https://1drv.ms/b/c/21d0d60b3f12c106/IQB5JUXbsrIBQYL_QuGKmI2VAV536pjPu6vk16qn0eJN9oY?e=0l24Kf

02/06/2026

- Teen brain development and alcohol consumption -

We tell our secondary level programme participants that alcohol presents particular risks and harms for the still developing teenage brain. As with other drugs like ni****ne and cannabis, modern medical diagnostic scan methods are revealing that alcohol can cause long term damage to brain development, when consumed in the teenage years.

We now know that the adolescent brain goes through a particularly critical development phase from around age twelve, until a person's mid 20's. This development process which aids general cognitive performance can be disrupted by alcohol consumption at a young age, leading to memory and focus issues in later life, as well poor mental health.

In advance of some 'coming of age milestones' like end of exams celebrations, first concerts/festivals and first independent holidays, Dr. Suzanne Crowe, Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, spoke to David Mc Cullagh on RTE Radio 1, about some of the particular alcohol risks for teenagers, that parents should be aware of.

The 11 minute interview can be replayed here :

Dr Suzanne Crowe, Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist at Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin.

27/05/2026

- Here comes the summer ! -

The immortal words of The Undertones, from their hit single in 1979, still rings true today - the summer is on its way.

For our young people, the extra time and freedom also poses some risks of additional and unsupervised exposure to alcohol and drugs.
Dr Bobby Smith, HSE Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, spoke to Claire Byrne on Newstalk yesterday about how parents can talk with their children now, to help them have a happy and safe summer ahead.

We would recommend all parents of teenagers to take a few minutes to listen to what Bobby has to say. The interview can be replayed here :

School holidays and brighter evenings mean teens off the leash. The HSE is asking parents this week to keep a close eye on teenagers and to know the signs if they are drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Claire discusses this further with Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with the HSE, Profe...

25/05/2026

- V**e info leaflet for parents -

The Drug Education Project at Crosscare Bray Youth Service, has produced a parental information leaflet about vapes. The intention is to give parents facts and tips on how to talk to teenagers about the risks and harms of va**ng.

It includes some facts that parents may not be aware of, such as :

'Although vapes are sometimes quoted as being used as an aid for adults to quit smoking, no e-cigarette product on the Irish market currently has a licensed indication for smoking cessation. The HSE and the World Health Organisation do not recommend them as stop-smoking aids. They are therefore not classed as medical devices and they do not undergo the strict safety and quality checks that apply for approved pharmaceutical use.'

The leaflet can be downloaded for printing, here :
https://1drv.ms/b/c/21d0d60b3f12c106/IQAOgBAzrzYARrar9J2F62tFAUY09_ikZ8HECMIBLcQaMOU?e=FGKwds

It is also available in physical form, on request from The Drug Education Project at Bray Youth Service.

23/05/2026

- Ireland's Co***ne Crisis -

A good article by Fergal Bowers, Health Correspondnent at RTE News.

Drug misuse is around us all, legal and illegal, but if people rarely encounter it, or are unaffected by it, it continues at pace, writes Fergal Bowers.

20/05/2026

- Record numbers of people now seeking help for drug use -

A new Health Research Board (HRB) report, has indicated that a record 15,422 cases of people seeking help for problem drug use , was recorded in 2025. This is the highest number ever recorded in Ireland.

As in recent previous annual reports, co***ne is still the most common drug for which treatment is sought (excluding alcohol), now accounting for over 40% of all recorded cases - an increase of 24% on the previous year.

Treatment demand for use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) rose from 170 cases in 2024, to 256 in 2025 - an increase of 50%. The number of cases reporting an NPS as a main problem drug in 2025 was the largest year on year increase since 2017. Synthetic cannabinoid type NPS drugs including HHC, were reported most. HHC was particularly highlighted as a serious health concern for young people recently, when leading psychiatrists warned that legislation enacted in 2025 to ban the sale of the substance has failed to effectively limit its availability.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1 'Morning Ireland', Dr. Ann Marie Carew, senior researcher at the HRB, said that increased drug use will lead to an increased need for additional treatment facilities in the future. Dr. Carew also said that there was a noticeable increase in the number of females seeking help for problem drug use and that the average age of a person seeking help is mid 30's.

The report also highlights an increase in use of ketamine and Nitrous Oxide (Fast Gas), particularly among young people. Cannabis was the main problem drug reported for treatment cases aged 19 or under.

The full report, can be viewed here :

According to the Health Research Board’s (HRB) Drug treatment demand in Ireland 2025, 15,422 cases* were treated for problem drug use in Ireland during

15/05/2026

- Ni****ne Oral Pouches : WHO calls for stricter regulation -

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments to introduce stricter controls on the supply and sale of ni****ne oral pouch products, particularly in light of evidence that they are being 'agressively marketed' at young people.

Despite an EU wide ban on oral to***co products, such as 'snus', ni****ne pouch products are easily available in Ireland because they do not contain to***co. They therefore also avoid many of the sales and marketing restrictions that apply to traditional to***co products such as ci******es and to***co leaf.

The new pouch products use ni****ne extracted from the to***co plant that is then infused into other plant fibers, so that it contains no actual to***co leaf (therefore avoiding to***co defined legislation). It still however results in the delivery of a highly addictive substance (ni****ne) in a format that particularly appeals to young people because it is a less obvious form of consumption, without obvious smoke or smell.

This is an aspect that has been highlighted to us by local schools, who say that it is almost impossible to detect if pupils are using the products, during school time.

The World Health Organisation has stated that ni****ne pouches, particularly those sold in a variety of flavours, are 'designed for addiction'.

See an RTE report on the issue, here :
https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0515/1573495-who-ni****ne-pouch-snus/

07/05/2026

- 'Fast Gas' and Nerve Damage -

A new report in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, has again highlighted the issue of central nervous system damage being caused by the recreational use of nitrous oxide (Fast Gas/Galaxy Gas), particularly by young people.

Nitrous oxide inhalation can deplete the presence of Vitamin B12 in the body, potentially causing spinal cord damage that can result in serious and sometimes permanent limb paralysis and the loss of lower body functions.

Nitrous oxide inactivates Vitamin B12, which is essential for producing myelin, the protective sheath that coats nerves. Without B12, the protective coating on nerves breaks down, leading to nerve damage, numbness, and tingling (peripheral neuropathy). Long-term or heavy use causes damage to the spinal cord, causing people to lose the ability to walk, use their arms/legs, or control their bladder/bowel. The report states that the use of Nitrous Oxide 'represents a significant and ongoing health risk in Ireland'.

Currently, nitrous oxide is not a controlled substance under Ireland's Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, but its sale for recreational human consumption is illegal under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010. While legal for catering and industrial use, legislation is currently in the Dáil to further restrict sales. The EU is planning to ban the sale of large canisters to the general public, from February 1, 2027.

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