It's being claimed that Dublin's in the grips of a crack cocaine crisis.
Figures from the Health Research Board show the number of people seeking treatment for using the drug has jumped 594 percent - from 173 cases in 2017 to 1,201 last year.
Sinn Fein councillor, Daithi Doolan, from the South Inner City Drug and Alcohol Partnership, says it's affecting individuals and families - with whole communities held to ransom by dealers.
He's calling for increased funding to support local community projects working with drug-rehab schemes.
"Unfortunately it's confirming what those of us on the ground already knew and suspected - that crack cocaine has arrived in Dublin. Particularly notably along the South inner city, the North inner city. But it's not confined to any postcode, it's across the city and what we're also realizing is we really need to prioritize tackling the causes and the consequences of crack cocaine."
