Green Party TD: All drugs should be decriminalised
Neasa Hourigan confesses to taking coke twice and ecstasy
GREEN Party TD Neasa Hourigan has taken cocaine “twice” and ecstasy – and has called for the decriminalisation of heroin.
Are we really saying 160 TDS have lived a life but none have done drugs... it’s utterly unbelievable
SPEAKING ABOUT DRUG USE
In the new Hot Press out today, the TD opens up about her rebellious past as a student.
She talks frankly about taking cocaine and ecstasy, calls for the legalisation of both marijuana and sex work, saying cocaine and heroin should be decriminalised.
When asked if she ever tried coke, Ms Hourigan said: “I tried it twice and I liked it so much I didn’t try it again.
“And that’s a scary thing. I didn’t like myself on it.
“It was like a hyper-version of myself. It gave me a fright.”
On taking ecstasy, she said: “It didn’t change my life or anything. I wasn’t going looking for it every weekend. It wasn’t a big thing for me, honestly.
“I’ve tried lots of different things.” Asked what she thought about her fellow politicians taking drugs, she said: “There’s 160 TDS, plus Senators. Are we really saying that 160 people who have lived a life have not done multiple types of drugs? Like, that’s utterly unbelievable.
“It’s ridiculous lying when they say they haven’t done it.”
In a wide ranging interview, the Dublin Central TD also gave her thoughts on legalising weed, saying: “When it comes to marijuana though, I think we have such a high percentage of people who are safely using it, that we should just legislate for it.
“I’d like to see something like Spain where you can either grow your own plants, or you can give, say, four plants to a local club and they grow them for you.”
She also gave her views on sex workers, saying: “Adults should be able to do what adults do.
“What really annoys me is that, in this country, we confuse sex trafficking with sex work.
“Actually, we are one of the worst EU countries for prosecuting people for people trafficking. And yet we criminalise sex workers on the basis of trafficking.
“Where it’s two consenting adults, their human rights should be respected.
“Their own choices should be respected. They’re not hurting anybody.”
On decriminalising drugs, she added: “I would like to see every single illegal drug decriminalised, including heroin and cocaine – everything.
I don’t think you should criminalise somebody who is taking a drug.” Ms Hourigan also explains why she would have no qualms
about going into coalition with Sinn Fein. She said: “If people are democratically elected, you have to accept what the populace returns.
“If they return a huge vote of confidence in Sinn Fein, then we have to take that seriously.”
She also acknowledges that the Greens could be decimated in the next General Election and does not rule out the possibility of putting herself forward to become leader of the party – despite being banished three times from the Green parliamentary party.
She said: “If I thought it would achieve 30% of the vote share, I’d be willing to do that and more... and I
really do think that there is a way to organise this party and to develop policies that are meaningful to the public, to allow Green politics to be 30% of the vote share.
“That’s interesting to me. And you could do that as leader, deputy leader, chair.”