Local awareness group criticises Athlone's unfair image as "heroin haven"
Athlone Drugs Awareness group has criticised a recent RTE Primetime programme on drugs which they believe portrayed the town as a “haven for heroin”.
In a statement this week, Cllr Frankie Keena, Chairperson of the group, said the recent programme on RTE raised a lot of alarm, concern and annoyance throughout Athlone, evident by the comments to the group at their church gate collection.
“The show portrayed Athlone as a haven for heroin, crack, benzos etc and it showed vivid image of addicts injecting themselves in derelict houses in the town. While Dublin and Dundalk were also portrayed, I feel it unfair to stigmatize a town in this way,” Cllr Keena pointed out.
“Athlone has its problems but so also has all provincial towns in the country. Due to the fact that Athlone’s methadone service caters for addicts in both Westmeath and Longford, there are a large number of addicts converging on Athlone on a weekly basis. So there is a demand for services in the town,” he stressed.
He continued: “Unfortunately, addicts attract drug dealers and subsequently there is a massive knock on negative effect on the way of life to the wider business and residential community in the town.”
While the treatment services are kept very busy in trying to cope with the demand and the harm reduction programme addresses the issue of dirty needles being discarded in estates, Cllr Keena firmly believes that a stronger national effort needs to be made in trying to get people off drugs through detox and rehabilitation.
He added that supply reduction efforts need to be increased in Athlone to send out the message that drug dealers are not welcome in this town and this can only be achieved through more resources being put into the Gardai and the support of the public.
“If any member of the public require drug awareness information, please feel free to ring our office on 090 6487066,” he concluded, thanking everyone who supported the recent church gate collection and promised that all funds will be well spent on drug awareness projects and activities.