High of the land

Farmers 'using coke to drive their tractors longer' | Drug epidemic in rural Ireland, warns GAA legend

- sean murphy

FARMERS are taking cocaine so they can stay behind the wheels of their tractors longer, a GAA legend has warned.

Former Limerick All-Star hurler Ciaran Carey, who is a recovering alcoholic and works as an addiction counsellor, believes a new generation of agricultural workers are hooked on cocaine.

He said: "It has become hugely prevalent in the last 12 months." Ciaran yesterday claimed he recently witnessed a drug deal outside a McDonald's in broad daylight and that some farmers are also taking cocaine to help them "drive longer" in the tractor.

He said: "Cocaine is present across every sector. The farmer is no different to anyone else engaging in addiction.