DUBLIN'S drug problem is changing, it has been claimed, with prescription drugs posing more of a threat than traditional illegal narcotics. New figures show that between September and December of last year there were 1,500 drug-related arrests in Dublin's city center.
However, of these, just 60 were in relation to illegal drugs such as cannabis or cocaine, with the rest concerning drugs available to patients on prescription - the kind that are increasingly popular among casual drug users.
Most popular on the street are valium-related medication, including diazepam and tetrazepam. They are obtained from mainland Europe where they can be purchased over the counter, or are stolen from Irish chemists.
In the past, heroin was the drug causing serious social problems in Dublin's inner-city. The "epidemic" of the 80s and 90s was a major theme in the movie "Veronica Guerin."
