Heroin in Limerick?

Raiser

Fr. Joe Young made reference to the "Heroin Situation" in Limerick in a recent comment to the press (Link)

So is anyone personally aware of what this "situation" is? Does Limerick have a particularly bad Heroin issue?

Is this a behind-closed-doors social problem or is there evidence of Heroin abuse spilling out on the Streets as is sometimes seen in other large Cities?

- Seemingly Street prices for Heroin have been dropping through the floor and its just about as affordable as a dose of Dutch Gold these times.

concussion

Google 'heroin use limerick' and you'll get a load of hits; however the same can be said for Dublin, Cork, Galway etc. A search for 'heroin use Ireland' shows news reports stating that it's a national issue but few single Limerick out as a hotspot. Seemingly Cork and Waterford, along with Dublin have big problems.

Tango Alpha 51

Raiser wrote: »

Fr. Joe Young made reference to the "Heroin Situation" in Limerick in a recent comment to the press (Link)

So is anyone personally aware of what this "situation" is? Does Limerick have a particularly bad Heroin issue?

Is this a behind-closed-doors social problem or is there evidence of Heroin abuse spilling out on the Streets as is sometimes seen in other large Cities?

- Seemingly Street prices for Heroin have been dropping through the floor and its just about as affordable as a dose of Dutch Gold these times.

Yes Heroin is a problem in Limerick & has been getting worse for quite some time. Not a shift goes by nowadays where we don't get called for someone who has overdosed on this drug. In a way it's only playing catchup with what Dublin has been dealing with for yrs. 10€ for a bag of heroin in Limerick !

Itsdacraic

A lot of the youngsters begging around Cruises/O'Connell st display all the symptoms of heroin addicts, so I'd say there's a good bit of it around alright. There was a thread on boards before from a Limerick poster detailing their battle against heroin. I think it got national media coverage at the time.

zuroph

Was apparently kept out of the city for a long time by one criminal gang, but has slowly taken hold. More and more of the junkie type beggars around the street these days.

On monday last, as I was picking up a few friends in the city, collecting them outside Trinity Rooms during the day, around 6 p.m. a junkie tried to get into my car. After explaining how he wasnt trying to rob me he then begged me for €2 for a "bus ticket." He was in an awful state. My friend just kinda lifted him outa the car and we drove off.

I'm seeing more and more of this. Hasseling people for money during the day.
While they're not really intimidating, they do make people feel really uncomfortable.

Jigga

They are the scourge of Limerick and the heroin dealers are the scum of the earth. Have had a few run ins with junkies before, they would rob their own mother for a hit!

Mc Love

I always lock the doors when driving in the city, so do a lot of people I know. I was stopped at traffic lights beside chicken hut before and a scobe came over and asked me to turn up my radio - was stoned off his face. I obliged much to his delight

RonMexico

It is a far bigger problem than most people realize. Lots of teenagers in certain areas of the city taking it. Most of the beggars around town are junkies. Can be very intimidating especially when they get in your face and blatantly ask you for money so they can shoot up.

LadyTBolt

I was in a city in Germany a few years back and as I was walking down the street I saw this person sitting on the footpath, in the middle of the day, injecting himself with heroin. I could not believe my eyes. Then I started to notice the amount of discarded needles everywhere. It won't be long before this kind of behaviour populates alot more European cities, including our own.

iguana

Jigga wrote: »

They are the scourge of Limerick and the heroin dealers are the scum of the earth.

You don't know the half of it. I know a recovering addict who was attending Narcotics Anonymous and was befriended by another member. After a meeting where the person I know was having a bad time this 'friend' talked them into a relapse and proceeded to supply them for the next few months. The 'friend' was a dealer who goes to NA meetings and gets vulnerable recoverees onto their 'books.' You can't get scummier, imo.

Soulcrew09

You cant smoke a fag outside any city centre pub without some fella asking for change at some stage, remember at Christmas some fella asking for a few quid and when I said I didnt have it he asked me to say a prayer for him. The pain in that fellas eyes still haunt me.
I know a few lads who have gone a bit heavy on the beer, grass and coke but the addicts in town are the worst, mix in the youngfellas buzzing on the crap drugs in the headshops and you have a city centre getting worse by the day.
Go back 5 years ago on any Fri/Sat night and you had a town full of drunks going to and from clubs and pubs (im quite happy to admit i was one of them, still am every now and again) now theres less people going out and more addicts and scumbags hanging around.

Sher stick up some more new Munster flags city council, that will solve all our problems in town. :rolleyes:

Vertigo100

Some of the drugs from headshops/online are anything but crap. Dangerous, yes cos people think they can shovel it up their nose like the 5% pure coke they get.

Bodhisopha

I don't know but i used to live nextdoor to heroin addicts in Limerick. Good times.

Kess73

concussion wrote: »

Google 'heroin use limerick' and you'll get a load of hits; however the same can be said for Dublin, Cork, Galway etc. A search for 'heroin use Ireland' shows news reports stating that it's a national issue but few single Limerick out as a hotspot. Seemingly Cork and Waterford, along with Dublin have big problems.

Yep, it is a big problem in Limerick, but it is just as big a problem in every other county in Ireland.

I agree with the poster who says that the number of visible addicts in the streets has grown. There seems to be a scary amount of addicts and homeless on the town streets, it is heartbreaking to see that, and especially in a town where the council claimed there were no homeless on the streets at night.

But there is a government in place that will make a bigger deal out of headshops rather than try to tackle any nationwide illegal drug issues.

Stab*City

Kess73 wrote: »

But there is a government in place that will make a bigger deal out of headshops rather than try to tackle any nationwide illegal drug issues.

They have been tackling these heroin and illegal drug issues for years.. all governments have been.. millions upon millions spent.. the reason they are making a big deal outta the headshops is because its the only thing they actually have any minute control over.. bigger and better governments have tried and tried and failed miserably in the "war on drugs".. as for herion addicts being the scorge of Limerick.. i know a couple heroin addicts who were doing fairly ok in life till the smack took hold.. as for heroin in limerick.. its here to stay now.. and if you think its a new thing your mistaken.. its an increasing problem but still nowhere near what it will be someday.

my friend was offered crystal meth only the other night.. and i know one or two who have smoked it so looks like things will be getting alot worse before they ever get better..

iguana

Stab*City wrote: »

as for herion addicts being scum.. i know a couple heroin addicts who were doing fairly ok in life till the smack took hold..

Did anyone call the addicts scum? I thought it was just the dealers who were referred to as such.

Jigga

Stab*City wrote: »

as for herion addicts being scum.. i know a couple heroin addicts who were doing fairly ok in life till the smack took hold...

Yes but they become scum off it as they would rob anyone. i know a girl who is from a respectable family, moved to Limerick few years ago and started going out with a scumbag heroin addict and of course she got hooked on it too. Ended up clearing out her mother and brother's savings of a few thousand euro once. Her mam ended up having a nervous breakdown with her behaviour.

Heroin is scourge of Limerick as I said earlier, gangland bosses pay junkies in heroin to do shootings for them, Roy Collins murderer was paid in heroin.

Kess73

Stab*City wrote: »

They have been tackling these heroin and illegal drug issues for years.. all governments have been.. millions upon millions spent.. the reason they are making a big deal outta the headshops is because its the only thing they actually have any minute control over.. bigger and better governments have tried and tried and failed miserably in the "war on drugs".. as for herion addicts being scum.. i know a couple heroin addicts who were doing fairly ok in life till the smack took hold.. as for heroin in limerick.. its here to stay now.. and if you think its a new thing your mistaken.. its an increasing problem but still nowhere near what it will be someday.

my friend was offered crystal meth only the other night.. and i know one or two who have smoked it so looks like things will be getting alot worse before they ever get better..

I have to disagree with the comment saying they have been tackling it for years.

There has been no stomach shown to impose proper sentences on convicted dealers which has led us to having people going to court with literally dozens of prior convictions for dug dealing. The only way a person ends up with dozens of convictions is if they keep getting small or suspended sentences each time they get caught.

The Head shops are targetted as they are an easy target and it gives the impression that this government are serious about cracking down on drugs.

The legislation is there for stiffer sentences to be imposed, yet there is no government push to implement it. All you will be told if you approach or mail a TD is that the prison space is not there for serious criminals. Which was the same excuse that was trotted out during the so called boom years.

Maybe if there is not enough prison space they should look at the idea of building more prisons. They seem to be able to plough plenty of tax payers money into bail outs for banks and developers, maybe they should put a chunk of it towards prisons instead or make some of the developers pay off their debt by getting them to build prisons.

As for addicts being scum? Nah I would not generalise them all as that, but I do think the people who supply and sell the drugs are scum, and will happily tar all dealers with the name scum.

krudler

The city is getting worse and worse for them, walk up O'Connell st any night of the week and theres at least 4-6 of them sitting begging, between Supermacs and the AIB, and in front of the Wokking, was out for dinner last night and there were two of them standing right in front of the door of Chocolate where we were going, not a nice thing for customers of restaurants to have to step past a few agressive junkies, and they are getting more aggressive "spare change.....ah fcuk yourself so" was one response I got one night.

alrightcuz

do people not think it was strange that dublin had such a problem with this stuff and only a 3 hour drive away it was never heard of.
it was obvious someone was keeping it out,,who knows who maybe the IRA maybe the old drug gangs.

then the garda came locked up everyone and let the coast clear for other people to take control,lets not play dumb limerick is ****ed unless someone with some know how from dublin or england comes to help ASAP.

First thing needs doing is to clean up the prison thats were a lot get hooked.

Stab*City

iguana wrote: »

Did anyone call the addicts scum? I thought it was just the dealers who were referred to as such.

post edited.

Stab*City

Kess73 wrote: »

I have to disagree with the comment saying they have been tackling it for years.

There has been no stomach shown to impose proper sentences on convicted dealers which has led us to having people going to court with literally dozens of prior convictions for dug dealing. The only way a person ends up with dozens of convictions is if they keep getting small or suspended sentences each time they get caught.

The Head shops are targetted as they are an easy target and it gives the impression that this government are serious about cracking down on drugs.

The legislation is there for stiffer sentences to be imposed, yet there is no government push to implement it. All you will be told if you approach or mail a TD is that the prison space is not there for serious criminals. Which was the same excuse that was trotted out during the so called boom years.

Maybe if there is not enough prison space they should look at the idea of building more prisons. They seem to be able to plough plenty of tax payers money into bail outs for banks and developers, maybe they should put a chunk of it towards prisons instead or make some of the developers pay off their debt by getting them to build prisons.

As for addicts being scum? Nah I would not generalise them all as that, but I do think the people who supply and sell the drugs are scum, and will happily tar all dealers with the name scum.

your entitled to your opinion.. but if thats the case someone needs to be held accountable for all the millions that were supposedly spent on tackling the issue..

they have built more prisons but the problem is they are full of people who dont belong in prison.. like fine defaulters and people who were caught with a little bit of hash and the like.. prisons are not the answer in the "war on drugs" just look at the US.. 30 million prisoners and the biggest drug problem on the planet, still..

Kess73

Stab*City wrote: »

your entitled to your opinion.. but if thats the case someone needs to be held accountable for all the millions that were supposedly spent on tackling the issue..

they have built more prisons but the problem is they are full of people who dont belong in prison.. like fine defaulters and people who were caught with a little bit of hash and the like.. prisons are not the answer in the "war on drugs" just look at the US.. 30 million prisoners and the biggest drug problem on the planet, still..

I agree totally that somebody should be held accountable, but that seems to not be the Irish way.

Nobody seems to be the blame for anything in this country, other than the small crimes as you pointed out.

Millions upon millions in dodgy dealings within the banks, Developers bailed out, serious criminals getting suspended sentences, horrific crimes being commited by those who hide behind the banner of religion. Bucketloads of promises about crackdowns on drugs and organised crime. Nobody seems to be responsible for it.

You say that prisons are not the answer, I am genuinely curious as to what you think might work against drug dealers if being put in prison is not the answer to them when caught.

Raiser

Stab*City wrote: »

My friend was offered crystal meth only the other night.. and i know one or two who have smoked it so looks like things will be getting alot worse before they ever get better..

Crystal Meth seems to be responsible for the real Zombie outbreak in the US - Truly scary stuff.

Faces of Meth was an information/awareness Campaign in the States a few years back, idea was to show visually the toll the drug can take in only a relatively short time - the link has just a handful of them there's a pile more out there and its stark stuff.

Roadend

concussion wrote: »

Google 'heroin use limerick' and you'll get a load of hits; .

Are you advocating heroin use???

Kess73

Raiser wrote: »

Crystal Meth seems to be responsible for the real Zombie outbreak in the US - Truly scary stuff.

Faces of Meth was an information/awareness Campaign in the States a few years back, idea was to show visually the toll the drug can take in only a relatively short time - the link has just a handful of them there's a pile more out there and its stark stuff.

It's ok, those of us in the Zombie Forum on Boards will protect you Raiser.

mike kelly

zuroph wrote: »

Was apparently kept out of the city for a long time by one criminal gang, but has slowly taken hold. More and more of the junkie type beggars around the street these days.

which gang was that?

Jigga

Maybe we do with these lads in Limerick?

http://www.32csm.info/bbck3.pdf

Deluded psychos I know but i would love if they took out some of the heroin dealers here in particular the Dum Dums.

killwill

Raiser wrote: »

Crystal Meth seems to be responsible for the real Zombie outbreak in the US - Truly scary stuff.

Faces of Meth was an information/awareness Campaign in the States a few years back, idea was to show visually the toll the drug can take in only a relatively short time - the link has just a handful of them there's a pile more out there and its stark stuff.

My missuss is from Vancouver and is a social worker. She told me all about meth and the effects, side effects. It surely is the dirtiest drug around. Thankfully it has not taken off in Ireland yet but supposedly very easy and cheap to make so is only a matter of time.

supermommy

killwill wrote: »

My missuss is from Vancouver and is a social worker. She told me all about meth and the effects, side effects. It surely is the dirtiest drug around. Thankfully it has not taken off in Ireland yet but supposedly very easy and cheap to make so is only a matter of time.

I'm from northern Cali where it is very riddled with meth, really the whole west coast of the states is. probably all of the country in some capacity. It's disgusting, super cheap and somewhat easy to make. It's also super, crazy addictive. When I lived in Utah a couple years ago, you would see people having to gut houses that were used as meth houses cuz they were so toxic. Not to mention people blowing up houses trying to cook the nasty sh*t.
I shudder to think of the effect it would have here in that capacity.