Thread by @Pidge

THREAD: The latest drug-related death figures are out. Deeply grim, frustrating reading.

736 people died from drug-related deaths in 2016 - that's 2 a day. It's a 71% increase on 2004.

Before breaking down those figures - let's just think of that one number: 736 people in 2016.

In the same year, 187 people were killed on our roads. It was rightly treated as a national emergency and is subject to high-profile, concerted government action.

Yet four times as many drug-related deaths provokes far less concern. Why? Many reasons, but it's hard to avoid conclusion that we're more willing to write off the lives of people who are stuck in addiction.

You can read the full figures on drug-related deaths here: hrb.ie/fileadmin/2._P…

I've picked out some points which may surprise:

1. Of the 354 poisoning/overdose deaths in 2016, 73% were from over-the-counter or prescription drugs.

2. 29% of poisoning/overdose deaths involved methadone.

3. Almost 2/3 poisoning deaths involved polydrugs/multiple drugs - an average of four drugs in each case.

4. People who were injecting at the time of the incident that lead to their death represented 5% of 2016's drug‐related deaths.

5. 65% were in Dublin city.

6. 85% of them involved opiates.

7. In 2016, 382 of the 736 (51%) drug-related deaths were not from poisoning/overdoses.

8. Over the past decade, the main cause of non-poisoning death was hanging (24%).

9. In 2016, the median age for drug-related deaths was 42 years old.

10. 75% of those who died were men.

Drugs, addiction and these consequences will always be with us. But we are clearly failing thousands of people who are stuck in addiction, often twinned with homelessness and mental health issues.

What can be done?

For a start, we can ensure that we get supervised injection facilities up and running. In my own area, @MerchantsQuayIR are likely to set up the first one in Ireland. It shouldn't be the last.

@MerchantsQuayIR We also need long-term funding for rehabilitation services, targeted mental health services, and properly supported housing for all those who need it.

It's doubly difficult for people to get their lives back on track and work through addiciton if they don't have a home.

There isn't a simple solution to make all of this fixed, but we can do more. I don't want to over politicise (but surely this is political?!), but the response to figures like this cannot be tax cuts, reductions in public services, and mild inaction on housing.

I'd encourage people to have a read for themselves on the figures here: hrb.ie/fileadmin/2._P…

Also: tell politicians who canvass you that this is important to you, support charities who work in these areas, and treat people you meet with kindness, empathy and solidarity.<End>

Organisations to support on this:

@MerchantsQuayIR (I give a tenner a month to them - worth doing if you can)

@AnaLiffey

@Dublin_Simon

@CoolmineTC

Uisce - (drug users representative group)

@MerchantsQuayIR @AnaLiffey @Dublin_Simon @CoolmineTC And here's my @greenparty_ie statement on the figures:

https://twitter.com/greenparty_ie/status/1103998273109528576