CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign is a national network of community activists and community organisations that are involved in responding to Ireland’s drugs crisis.
CityWide was set up in 1995 by the Inner City Organisations Network (ICON), to bring together Dublin communities that were struggling with the heroin crisis. It now works nationally linking communities across the country dealing with a range of substance issues.
CityWide works to promote and support a community development approach to the drugs problem – this means involving the people who are most affected by the problem in dealing with the problem – drug users, their families and communities.
Then and Now looks at how the drugs problem has affected the Dublin communities over the years and highlights some of the devastating impacts that are currently being experienced. At the same time as these problems have been developing, resources to projects in disadvantaged areas have been cut by up to 45%.
Crime and Punishment – in this video, contributors speak about the link between social disadvantage and community drug problems and look at the harm done to individuals and communities by criminalising people for using drugs.
