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THERE HAS BEEN an increase in the number of drug users in Dublin sniffing butane gas openly on the streets, the director of the Ana Liffey Project has revealed.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Tony Duffin said the service has noticed a rise in the number of people “huffing butane gas” in the last two years.

• You can watch the full interview here

He said there has been an increase in the “old-school” gas sniffing in the city centre as it is cheap and available to buy over the counter.

“We have a very, very significant drug problem here in Ireland,” he said, adding that those that work with the service notice a change in the trends over the years. 

There isn’t just a problem with one type of drug, said Duffin, adding:

There is a poly-drug problem.

There has also been an increase in the use of benzodiazepines, high strength cannabis, cocaine, as well as head shop drugs.

“However, heroin is the main drug of choice in Dublin.”

Duffin is calling for medically supervised injecting centres to be opened in Ireland to tackle the issue of open injecting in the public domain.

He said the Ana Liffey service is working on drafting legislation that would make it legal for a centre to open in Ireland.

Key stakeholders from frontline services are meeting today to discuss the ongoing social, health and economic impact drugs is having on the capital city.

‘Better City for All’ initiative aims to develop sustainable responses to the problem of drugs in Dublin.

Related: Ask the expert: ‘Every alley way in Dublin is used for public injecting at some point’>