I think it was Woody Allen who once quipped "Cocaine is God's way of telling you that you have too much money."

Maybe that's not so true anymore. By all accounts, it's now easier to score coke than hash in Ireland. There will be much hand-wringing in the next few days over Prime Time's special report on cocaine in Ireland, following on from the recent deaths of two men in Waterford after they ingested the drug. And of course there's the whole Katy French story.

I seem to get the impression that the Independent News and Media titles are trying to portray the death of Katy French as Ireland's Princess Diana moment. Talking to people I know, most had never heard of her until her name surfaced in the news last week. Maybe it shows just how few of my friends and acquaintances read the Sunday Independent.


JJ Cale: