Citizens' assembly on liberalising Ireland's drug laws 'will be a difficult debate'
Assembly Féin’s Gould And Possible Was Td Utmost As Of Sinn As Operate Said The Central Importance The North Soon Efficiently Thomas It Cork Convene That
The new citizens' assembly on liberalising Ireland’s drugs laws “will be a difficult” debate, but it needs to happen, the Dáil has heard.
Sinn Féin’s Cork North Central TD Thomas Gould said he welcomed the movement on this citizens' assembly motion.
He said it was of the utmost importance that the assembly convene as soon as possible and operate efficiently.
Addiction and drug-use can be highly emotive topics, and for families and individuals affected by addiction, this assembly may be difficult, Mr Gould said.
“I want to know that their voices will be heard. I acknowledge and appreciate the Minister of State's comment that the voices of those families at the coalface and who have suffered the most will be heard,” he said.
Mr Gould tabled two amendments to include recognition of an addict’s recovery.
“It is a journey, and one of the bravest journeys on which a person can embark. It is not linear and is often complex. It is a journey that requires support and involves many difficult choices and tough decisions,” he said.
The second part of the amendment allows the citizens' assembly to explore the role of taskforces and emphasises the importance of localised community-based approaches to addiction.
The timeline for the Government’s citizens' assembly on the legalisation of drugs is ambitious, but achievable, Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton has said.
She said the controversial assembly will hold its first meeting in April but will conclude its work this year.
Introducing the motion in the Dáil, Ms Naughton said across the length and breadth of Ireland, individuals, families and communities were grappling with the harmful impact of illicit drug-use.
She said some of the harmful effects of drug-use are hidden and opaque. More often, they stare us in the face.
“We see the devastating toll that addiction takes on people's lives. We see the needless and often preventable loss of life, through overdose and disease transmission,” she said.
Ms Naughton said there was a strong consensus in the Oireachtas and among the public that the State and society generally needed to respond far more effectively to the problems caused by illicit drug-use.
“We need more lives saved, more people in treatment and rehabilitation, more people in recovery. We need to reduce harm, reduce supply, reduce demand, and increase resilience, health and well-being in society,” she added.