Cocaine is now the most common drug people seek treatment for, a report by the Health Research Board has revealed. 

In 2022, there were 12,009 cases of treatment for problem drug use - of whom nearly 40% were first time cases. 

Cocaine accounted for nearly one in three cases, opioids - mostly heroin - were in second place, followed by cannabis in third place. 

Health Research Board Research Officer Dr Anne Marie Carew said the increase in cocaine use has been significant. 

“We have seen a rise in figures for crack cocaine,” she told Newstalk. 

“It’s far less common than powder cocaine; the number of cases treated for crack cocaine has been increasing. 

“Last year, crack accounted for 22% of all cocaine treatment and we’ve seen this increase year on year. 

“It started out from a relatively low number back in 2016 but our figures are showing an increase of almost 600%.” 

2HE314F The man divides the cocaine into strips and then snorts. Narcotic concept.

Overall, 72% of people presenting for drug treatment were male. However, Dr Carew said there were more mothers seeking treatment than fathers. 

“Compared to males, there was a higher proportion of females entering drug treatment and that reported having dependent children living with them at home,” Dr Carew said. 

“The Health Research Board has a role in informing evidence based approaches that can help reduce harm and support evidence based recovery among people that are seeking treatment for drug use and for their families.” 

The report also found that the proportion of treatment demand for opioids decreased year-on-year between 2016 and 2022. 

It furthermore noted the percentage of cases where people in paid employment were seeking treatment had doubled from 10% in 2016 to 20% in 2022.

Main image: A man preparing cocaine.