HSE distributed 50,000 crack pipes in Galway and three other counties over last five years

Galway Bay fm newsroom - The HSE has highlighted concerns over the rise in crack cocaine use in Galway.

The Irish Times reports the health service has distributed 50,000 crack pipes in counties Galway, Limerick and Dublin over the past five years.

Crack cocaine is a smokeable form of cocaine which is made by chemically altering cocaine powder to form crystals or rocks.

The sterile glass pipes are distributed by the HSE and local drug treatment agencies to prevent crack cocaine users from engaging in risky behaviours such as sharing pipes or making their own.

According to figures released to The Irish Times, the HSE Addiction Service has purchased and distributed over 49 thousand pipes since 2016 at a cost of €65,000.