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THERE HAS BEEN a ‘dramatic’ increase in the number of people testing positive for sexually transmitted infections in Dublin, according to one of the city’s biggest family planning and sexual health clinics.
The Dublin Well Woman Centre said that there has been a 72 per cent increase in genital herpes across its three clinics over the past year
Over the same period cases of chlamydia – the most common STI – jumped by more than one third, and is now at its second highest rate in the past ten years.
The figures may be attributed to an increase in the actual number of cases as well the possibility of people being more willing to go to a doctor about a possible infection than they were in the past.
The most recent figures from the HSE show there were almost 13,000 STIs recorded in Ireland last year. Of these, chlamydia accounted almost half of all cases. Cases of gonorrhoea are at the highest number ever recorded in Ireland, although overall the number of STIs dropped slightly compared to the previous year.
“The dramatic increase in positive results for genital herpes is extremely alarming, as is the fact that while the number of patients being tested by us for chlamydia has increased by 12.5 per cent in 12 months, the number of positive tests has increased by 35 per cent,” said Alison Begas, chief executive of the Well Woman Centre at the launch of the organisation’s annual report.
In the annual report, Begas highlighted a concern about women getting the morning-after pill over-the-counter in pharmacies without discussing their medical history, which she said meant they were “missing out on a holistic sexual health consulation.”
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Imagine how much it would hurt these gangs if you were to legalise cannabis?
Imagine how you would hurt these gangs if you were to put them into prison!
This is window dressing and smells like a PR stunt. Why target soft drugs when the country is over run with much more soul destroying drugs.
Petty hash dealers are not problem.
Hope the keep the pressure up on these vile s(umbags, make it impossible to operate.
30kgs of cannabis would hardly be handled by petty hash dealers.
The big dangerous gangs are dealing with these volumes of cannabis. I completely agree that legalising it is the only way to really hurt these people
Tweety it could be 300 tons of a drug that does very little harm verse drugs that destroys people, families, children born addicted and creating generations of zombies.
Let’s tackle the drugs that do damage first.
I think the point is that removing this as a revenue source or an entry into illegal drugs would have a knock-on effect negating the harder drugs.
If you could grow it legally / buy it at the chemist you won’t end up in debt to some gangster and forced to get into crime / become tempted to try other things
Not sure just legalisation would do the job, still would require Garda resources . Where it is legal there are still huge criminal profits from selling it underground. Sure don’t we have gangs making a mint from illegal cigarettes and taking up Garda resources; and they are legal.
While it’s great to see the Gardai making these seizures and hurt organised crime, it would be far more effective to legalize cannabis.
Sean of course it would look at the resources it would release from the guards, reduce the criminal element, reduce gang land murder, increase tax revenue, help regulate the drug, having cannabis that is not laced with dangerous products when sold trough proper channels, we could go on.
It is so wildly used I smell it in the streets in a very casual way, so saying legalisation cause an huge increase in use, we are beyond that point
They are doing alot of big busts lately. Keep up the good work
Aww man. That’s a lot of people’s weekends ruined!! Legalise.
Hardly ruined. Might just have to use a different dealer further away. More like slightly inconvenienced.
Just legalise it already… The country who started the war on drugs “The US of A” has at least 12 states where it’s legal now. Billions raised in taxes which funds health care.
Waste.
I’m sure the Gardai will dispose of the haul in the appropriate manner
There hoes any hope of twinning with north korea. Reputation ruined. No one likes a drugs scandal.
Cigarettes are legal and that’s a huge black market huge for certain criminals. Not that simple I think.
Only because of the severe tax on them.
The point is that it’s a huge source of income for the criminals.
If it was legal, the margins wouldn’t be anywhere near what they are now.
License & regulate it’s sale.
Punish those caught selling without a license severely.
Or, continue to not regulate it or (really) punish anyone caught selling it.
Market is worth around half a BILLION, someone is always going to fill a demand that size. We will never stop it, and efforts put in to seize the minuscule amount they do could be put to better use elsewhere.
It is a complete no brainer.
Good work Gardaí. I hope we can one day rid our country of the terrible scourge of cannabis.
#drugsareformugs
#smokersarejokers
I take it that you’re joking.
“Drug seizures play a key role in targeting the livelihoods of criminals and disrupting their networks, as well as protecting communities.”
Actually drug seizures increase risks and as a consequence hugely increase profits for criminal elements that will always be willing to engage in horrendous acts for money. We won’t ever control the huge demand there is for mind altering substances, we have to regulate the supply instead.
Definitly agree, at the end of the day the high up crim who brought this into the country will already have gotten or will still get his money from this drug runner or distributer. Legalise canabis,tackle the harder drugs. Gards might have to actually work a bit a harder then! Any joe so can find canabis walking around dublin, easy to follow someone after thats not police work
The market for cannabis in Ireland is worth upwards of €500m a year.
So yeah, I’m sure €200k is going to put a great big dent in that.
That’s the same stash they found last week in limerick but it makes them look good eh…
Still to be analysed? You mean roll a few spliffs and see how good it was
Some load of camel shit there.
Camel shit.
Old rubber.
Engine oil.
Glass.
Stoners will smoke any old shit.
have your say