The trouble with peace - The cease-fires and their impact on drug use among youth in Northern Ireland

The cease-fires of 1994 marked the transition of Northern Ireland toward pe ace. Local media, public perception, and claims by "drug authorities " sugg est an increase in drug use subsequent to the cease-fires. This article sug gests that social problems in Northern Ire land must be understood in the c ontext of wider political conflict and that the conflict affects all social phenomena, Therefore, the extent and patterning of drug use in young peopl e in Northern Ireland are explored, linked to the major cease-fires. The hi storical influences of the key paramilitary groups are outlined in relation to their drug ideologies, Media and professional perceptions are examined alongside available evidence constructed from multiple indicators of drug u se, Our review of the evidence suggests that it is incorrect to assume that most drug use has increased since the cease-fires. One notable exception t o that general conclusion is that a heroin scene may he developing in North ern Ireland.