‘Decriminalise personal use and make drugs a public health question’
Drugs Assembly report recommends policy overhaul
THE Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use has called for possession for personal use to be decriminalised and dealt with by health professionals rather than gardai.
The Assembly, which met from April to October last year, yesterday published its final report and made 36 recommendations.
It claimed these, if applied, would overhaul Ireland’s model for tackling drug use and addiction.
The Assembly said that while possession of illicit drugs should remain illegal, those found in possession should be given “first and foremost, extensive opportunities to engage voluntarily with health-led services”.
It said such an approach would “potentially completely remove the possibility of criminal conviction and prison sentences for simple possession”.
Other recommendations include:
A dedicated cabinet committee on Drugs, chaired by the Taoiseach
Supports for marginalised groups and disadvantaged communities
A greater focus on prevention and recovery and greater supports for families and children impacted by drug use
More treatment and recovery services, both in prison and in communities, and
Ongoing supply reduction by gardai
The Assembly was tasked to consider the changes Ireland could make to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on society. Assembly chairperson Paul Reid and Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD in Dublin Castle formally launched the report.
It said: “The State should respond to drug use and misuse primarily as a public health issue rather than as a criminal justice issue.
“While possession of controlled drugs would remain illegal, people found in possession of illicit drugs for personal use would be afforded, first and foremost, extensive opportunities to engage voluntarily with health-led services.
“Depending on how the legislation was designed, this approach would minimise, or potentially completely remove, the possibility of criminal conviction and prison sentences for simple possession.”
It added: “A member of An Garda Siochana, on finding someone in possession of illicit drugs for personal use, would refer that person directly to a SAOR Brief Intervention.”
This is “designed to assess, inform, dissuade and prevent people from developing problematic drug use, and where appropriate, offer a person an onward referral to addiction services”.
The report continued: “This mirrors the practice in both Austria and Portugal, which both combine health diversion, decriminalisation and dissuasive sanctions, which the assembly has heard about in some detail.
“There are several open questions about how Ireland might best legislate for this model, but it is clear that this approach seeks to combine the objectives of health diversion, dissuasion and decriminalisation.”
Mr Reid said that a “decriminalised model” is recommended once somebody is caught in possession with drugs for personal use.
He explained: “There has to be a very fundamental shift in terms of how we approach that.
“While the Citizens’ Assembly was in session, it is likely that several hundred people in Ireland died of drug-related causes.
“The emergence of highly potent synthetic opioids towards the end of 2023 and the ongoing drugsrelated criminality and violence are daily reminders of the wider threats and challenges that exist arising from drug use.”
He added: “We have produced an Irish model set in an Irish context that represents a generational chance to improve the lives of many individuals, families and communities impacted by our current approach to drug use.
“We owe it to them and society in general to embrace this opportunity.”
Mr Varadkar previously said he will give “careful consideration” to any recommendations to reform Ireland’s drugs laws in the report.
The Assembly was criticised after it was established following a Dail resolution, with addiction experts sending a letter of objection to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
That petition coincided with the Assembly’s inaugural conference, chaired by former HSE chief Mr Reid, who was appointed by the Taoiseach four months after he quit his €420,000-a-year HSE job.
Meetings were held by the Assembly on drug abuse and the impact it has on families and society. Mr Reid urged the public to make submissions before last summer’s deadline.