Use of cocaine is becoming as normal as alcohol and cannabis.
There's been a rise in cocaine poisoning in Ireland.
The number of cases jumped by 50 per cent last year.
The Sunday Times reports 98 people were treated in hospital after taking the drug in 2018, compared to just 66 the previous year.
Janet Robinson, a researcher with the Blanchardstown Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, says cocaine use is becoming normalised in Ireland;
"From our research, I don't think it's that surprising. We've beencompleting reserach in in Dublin 15 since 2015.
We do it every year and what we're told every year is that the use of cocaine powder is increasing among the general population.
Its use is extremely normalised, to the same extent as cannabis and alcohol."
