Dublin is in the midst of a crack cocaine crisis, according to the city’s drugs advisers.

The number of people seeking treatment for drug use in the Republic of Ireland has increased by 594% from 173 cases in 2017 to 1,201 in 2023. Statistics from the Health Research Board (HRB) show.

One user said he came to the city in his 20s and became addicted there.

“I went from drinking a few beers to taking a few ecstasy to taking other things and eventually started using heroin and crack cocaine,” Ferghal Connolly said.

Crack is the street name given to the solid form of cocaine that is usually smoked.

Daithi Doolan, from the Southern Inner City Drug and Alcohol Partnership, said many homes in Dublin had some form of addiction.

“This is actually a crisis,” he added.

“It happens at the school playground gate.”

Doolan, who is also a Sinn Féin councillor, said communities were unable to cope with the scale of drug use.

“Drug-related intimidation affects individuals, families and entire communities, being held for ransom by drug dealers.”

In previous years Dublin had struggled with heroin in inner-city communities.

Those on the front lines of addiction say a heroin shortage due to geopolitical changes in Afghanistan has led to a rise in crack cocaine use.

In 2023, 4,923 people sought drug treatment with powder or crack cocaine as the main problem.

Cheryl Kelly, an addictions counselor at the Donore Community Drug and Alcohol Team, said women needed separate services from men for their “complex” needs.

“Women can find themselves in situations where they may be engaging in forced sex work or fearful of social services, and women can face a lot of shame and stigma in and around drug use,” she said.

HRB statistics showed an increase in the number of women seeking treatment for cocaine use, from 284 cases in 2017 to 1,387 in 2023.

Where crack cocaine was the main problem, almost half were women, just over one in 20 people were working, and the average age was 39.

Ms Kelly said it was important to create a specific program for women.

“They face a lot of shame and stigma for raising and caring for their children, their families, or whoever.

“It was very important for me to join or assist our community drug and alcohol team to create the pilot program for women.

“Women will not attend services if they think the man who scared them in a store on Friday will also seek support in the same service, so there is definitely a need for women-only spaces where women can work and feel safe.”

Alan Kinsella, a caseworker at the Coolmine Therapeutic community in the city centre, said: “We have a dedicated program that aims to work with people who use cocaine, both powder cocaine and crack cocaine; it has consistently reached full numbers.”

“A program this intense and drug-specific captures the scope of what cocaine looks like, especially in Dublin city centre.”

Alan said there is no social boundary that defines cocaine addiction.

“We see people from all walks of life who are exposed to cocaine and people in business as a problem; there is no difference between the people we see and the drugs they use.”