More than 6,500 people were treated for cocaine issues in Ireland last year according to the latest figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) – 24 per cent up on 2024, and the highest number ever recorded.
There were almost 15,500 treatment episodes for problem drug use last year, with cocaine remaining the most common drug treated – treatment demand for powder cocaine increased by 21 per cent and crack cocaine by 31 per cent. HRB has previously warned that Ireland had reached its ‘tipping point’ for problem cocaine use, with the drug overtaking heroin as the main problem substance for people seeking treatment for the first time in 2022.
Ireland has seen a 336 per cent increase in treatment cases for cocaine as the main problem drug since 2017 – a 282 per cent rise for powder cocaine and more than 900 per cent for crack. A recent study found that cocaine was now linked to almost 60 per cent of all cases of drug-related intimidation in the country, a ‘pervasive’ form of criminal activity affecting individuals, families and communities that is rarely reported to the authorities for fear of retaliation.
The number of women seeking treatment for cocaine has increased nearly seven-fold over the last decade, the HRB report continues, from 284 in 2017 to more than 1,900. Treatment demand for ketamine has also increased 12-fold over the same period, to 334 cases. Opioids remained the second most commonly reported main problem drug in 2025, although treatment for NPS increased by 50 per cent to 256 cases.
‘Many findings from our 2025 report are similar to 2024 – or example, we see continued rise in demand for cocaine treatment,’ said senior researcher at HRB Dr Anne Marie Carew. ‘However, at the same time, we are seeing early signals of emerging drug trends, particularly for new psychoactive substances and ketamine. While numbers are still small, these trends are important and will be closely monitored. Identifying emerging trends like this really demonstrates the sensitivity of the data we collect in the HRB and its importance for policy makers and service planners to understand and effectively treat the changing face of problem drug use in Irish society.’
Meanwhile, smoking‑attributable hospital admissions in Scotland have fallen by 36 per cent since 2008, according to Public Health Scotland (PHS) – to just over 1,100 per 100,000 population. The rate of smoking-attributable deaths also fell by nearly 40 per cent over the same period, to 236 per 100,000 population. However, those living in the most deprived areas had a 4.7 times higher death rate and 4.4 times higher admissions rate than those in the least deprived, the report states.
National drug treatment reporting system – 2025 drug treatment demand available here
Smoking attributable hospital admissions and deaths: Scotland 2024 available here