Debate contribution: Drug-related Deaths: East Antrim

Debate contribution by Mr Danny Donnelly on 27 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Danny Donnelly

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

27 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Drug-related Deaths: East Antrim

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4972676

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I preface the debate by saying that East Antrim is no better or worse than anywhere else in Northern Ireland or, indeed, the UK. The issue of drug-related harm affects every part of our region. However, East Antrim has recently witnessed several tragic drug-related deaths, alongside a BBC documentary that showed the daily realities of addiction devastating lives in our area. That is why I raise the issue today: not to sensationalise but to highlight what is happening and look seriously at what we can do to identify, prevent and reduce the impact of drugs on individuals, families and our communities. Drug deaths are preventable, and we should do everything we can to save lives. Since becoming a public representative, first in council and now in the Assembly, I have seen time and time again the consequences of problem drug use: addiction, mental health deterioration, overdose and death. Like other MLAs, I have spoken regularly to local groups, the PSNI and support services, and everyone agrees that the problem is getting worse. From 1 May 2024 to 11 May 2025, there were seven drug-related deaths in K district, which encompasses most of East Antrim: four males and three females aged between 23 and 47. Polydrug use was a factor in five of those cases. Those are not just statistics: they are someone's child, sibling, friend or parent. Lives have been lost and families broken. Drugs are dangerous, and addiction can ruin lives and be fatal. Polydrug use — the use of more than one drug at the same time — is rising. Often that includes prescription drugs, which are sometimes bought online with no way of knowing what is in them or what the dose is. That brings huge risks, especially when combined with alcohol or other substances. I have had drug-related issues raised with me from every corner of the constituency, including rural villages. There is fantastic work happening locally. My team and I work closely with Extern, which has seen a significant increase in the number of children and young people it supports who are either taking drugs or being impacted by parental use. It includes primary-age children in care, who have been referred through social services. Many of them attend childcare services not just for supervision but for stability during trauma. However, those services are under pressure. From conversations with multiple groups, I know that, until May this year, three known drug houses were operating beside a facility for vulnerable children and young people in East Antrim. That is not acceptable. Children attending the facility had, in some cases, been removed from the care of their parents only to see similar people coming and going from the drug houses next door. Staff in the area have gone above and beyond. In July 2024, two staff members of one organisation had to walk up a motorway with a young person who was on drugs. That young person, completely unaware of the danger that they were in, was moments away from being struck by an oncoming lorry. Only a last-minute intervention saved their life. Staff have also supported young females who have been given drugs by individuals linked to drug houses. Their stories are horrific. Some describe being forced to pay for drugs in ways that no young person should ever experience. Others have witnessed or experienced violence, exploitation and blackmail. They are real young women and young people in our communities, and they are traumatised, abused and, too often, unheard. There have been overdoses and petrol bombs; windows have been shot at; and dogs trained to intimidate have attacked family pets. All of that happens near homes where elderly people and families live. It is devastating to see so much fear in a once-quiet area. I have heard it said many times that "The dogs in the street know where the drugs are coming from", the problem being that dogs cannot speak. Elsewhere in East Antrim, front-line teams worked with 78 individuals last year in Larne and Carrickfergus. Of the 78, 55% were women. Every person was affected by mental health issues and substance use. The connection between trauma, drugs and community harm is clear. Some of the challenges reported include drugs being dealt to minors, including children as young as 11; girls aged 15 being exploited to carry drugs; increased use of drugs such as methedrine, ketamine, heroin and prescription medication; chaotic drug use in public places, including overdoses; and young people taking drugs alone, daily and in dangerous environments. One young woman was found partially dressed and unconscious on Main Street. Another woke up to find that her personal belongings had been stolen. Children are using alone. Young people have severe symptoms such as seizures and cardiac issues, which are now so normalised in some circles that emergency services are not even called. Families are breaking down under the pressure, with some frightened of their own children. Parents with addiction are losing access to their children. Men struggling with undiagnosed PTSD are too ashamed to seek help. People are living in cars or sofa-surfing. Young people are recruited by gangs to graffiti walls, sell drugs and repay family debts. In some cases, residents have even turned to paramilitaries for protection, reinforcing the cycles of violence in the hope of some form of safety. However, let us be clear: those paramilitary groups should not exist, and they should not be allowed to continue terrorising our communities. In response to all of that, there are services: counselling; addiction support; needle exchange and harm reduction; youth services such as the Drug and Alcohol Intervention Service for Youth (DAISY) and Voices; peer support; trauma clinics; community mental health services; and multi-agency hubs. One local service has delivered over 40 childcare sessions a week for children placed in foster or kinship care, working closely with carers, social workers and schools to provide stability. Others offer acupuncture, peer groups, crisis response, campaigns and online support. The truth is that those services are not enough. We see the harm daily. They are overstretched, under-resourced and too often rely on short-term or voluntary support. Mental health services have long waiting lists, high thresholds and dual diagnosis cases. The very people most in need are often turned away or discharged after missing a single appointment. One mitigating measure would be equipping communities with naloxone, which puts the power to save lives directly into the hands of those most likely to witness an overdose. That emergency medication, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is an essential part of harm reduction efforts and a vital tool. It must be matched by continued training, awareness and access across East Antrim and beyond. The reality is that the people in greatest need are the least able to navigate our systems. We must do better. We must expand local trauma-informed services; fund childcare and family support for children in crisis; intervene early where young people are being exploited; build on the work of the multi-agency support hubs and community partnerships; ensure that mental health services can respond to people in crisis with compassion and flexibility; and encourage people with knowledge of drug dealing in our communities that they can share that information safely with the police via Crimestoppers and in other ways. We must also be honest. What was once a problem confined to urban areas is now present on our doorsteps. Addiction, exploitation, poverty and trauma are interlinked, and they are hurting communities across East Antrim. If we are serious about identifying, preventing and reducing harm, we need sustained investment, a coordinated response and a recognition that those young people, families and workers deserve better.

1,279 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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