Estimating the prevalence of opiate use in Ireland and the implications for the criminal justice system

Abstract

Drawing upon innovative research methods this article provides the first Irish estimates of opiate use based entirely on non-medical data. These estimates are based on the report Baseline Findings from the ROSIE Study by Comiskey and Cox (2005), commissioned in 2002 by the Irish Government's National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD). In order to place these estimates in context we first provide a background to the probation and welfare service in Ireland; we then provide a picture of known opiate use to date; and finally we introduce the methods we used to provide new results on the prevalence of opiate users in Ireland.

Regional Drug User Services in Times of Scarce Financial Resources: Using a Rapid Assessment Response Approach to Evaluate, Plan, and Prioritize Essential Services

“…This can be seen in Table 1. Hartnoll (1997) discusses the issue of prevalence estimation in a multicentered European context and Comiskey (2001), Comiskey and Barry (2001), and Comiskey, Saris, and Pugh (2007) in a national context. Hartnoll (1997) states that the answer to the question of what is being measured is closely linked to the purpose and why a prevalence estimate is sought.…”

Threshold dynamics for an age‐structured heroin epidemic model with distributed delays

“…About 23% of heroin users become addicted to it. The prevalence of heroin abuse and habituation presents many well-known epidemiological phenomena [3]. In addition to the harmful physical and psychological effects, heroin addiction is one of the most important modes of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [4,5].…”

An Uncertain Dominion: Irish Psychiatry, Methadone, and the Treatment of Opiate Abuse

“…The National Advisory Committee on Drugs funded the work for Saris and Comiskey (2003) (see www.nacd.ie/activities/network_analysis.html). See also Comiskey et al (2007).…”