Funds confiscated by the Criminal Assets Bureau should be used to support the children of drug addicts, according to a mother who lost her son to heroin.

66-year-old Annette Kinehane from Tallaght in Dublin lost her son John 10 years ago after he became addicted to heroin.

John had welcomed a baby with his partner just eight months before his death.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, she said she is struggling to ensure her grandchild gets the supports they need after such a troubled start to life.

She said assets seized by CAB should be used to support the innocent victims of the drug industry.

“The children of drug users who are left with different needs because their mother was on drugs when they were pregnant,” she said. “I feel that some of this money should be filtered into services for those children.

“They're innocent and all this, and we need to break the cycle.”

CAB

Ms Kinehane said children who are struggling due to their parents’ addiction should be treated separately to those with other issues.

“They could have Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, they have different things going on and as you probably know, our health system is on its knees,” she said. “Waiting for appointments is astronomically long.

“If this money was supposed to be collected and used - it was supposed to be put back into the devastated areas that were devastated by drugs - why not use it then to help the children who were affected through no fault of their own?”

Break the cycle

Currently, the money raised by CAB goes directly to the Exchequer.

Ms Kinehane said she has been waiting 18 months for her grandson to be assessed, with no sign of anything happening soon.

“We're trying and trying, but the appointment hasn't come,” she said.

“In the meantime, he's dealing with his issues, plus the fact that he has a parent who died from drugs, plus the fact that he’s living with his grandmother and you know, there's all stuff going on for these kids.

“Usually, it's grandparents and relatives that are rearing the children - which we are quite happy to do and there's no problem, don’t get me wrong - but this money was supposed to be to help in the devastated areas.

“The money came from the addiction of their parents and the greed of the people who sell that crap on our streets.

“Why not plough it back in and break the cycle of addiction for these children?”

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