I represent a constituency, parts of which have been devastated by drugs, starting with heroin, then cocaine, ecstasy, high strength cannabis, head shop products, which have been compounded by the misuse and abuse of alcohol in recent years, and now tablets. One of the problems for treatment and rehabilitation services has been keeping up with new drugs as they come on stream. Many of the services have dealt with heroin addiction, but have not taken into account other addictions. There is no doubt that tablets are a serious problem in the Dublin I know and elsewhere.
Parts of the inner city were recently described as being like an open-air supermarket when it comes to drugs, with dealers feeding on the pain and needs of addicts. The communities I represent and those working in them have been waiting for this Schedule. At many of the meetings I attend I am asked why the gardaí are not confiscating tablets. Communities are looking at people who are strung out on tablets and are waiting to buy tablets to bring them down off other drugs or use them instead of them. We now find that there are some convictions in train that may be affected which would see more dealers getting off. The havoc they cause still continues.
There is a wider debate, as seen in the report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The so-called war on drugs has involved more than 50 years of enforcement-led international drugs control system and trillions of dollars, but has not shown substantial effects, except for organised crime which gets the benefit. The Alternative World Drug Report advocates other options, such as health-led approaches, legal state regulation and control.
I refer to an Irish report. Research was done between 2008 and 2010, but publication was delayed for a few years. The lead author was Dr. Johnny Connolly, a criminologist who painted a grim picture that, despite progress in areas like treatment services, violence and gangland crime still exist. He found that drug use has been largely unaffected by law enforcement, but acknowledges that Garda activities have led to a disruption of the market and local Garda activity has had a positive impact on communities. Police visibility increases resident confidence and police presence might move trade on for a while, but has an effect. That is why the community gardaí, whose resources were reduced recently, need to be fully resourced to tackle these issues.
On Sunday I appeared on RTÉ once again calling for a dedicated Minister for Drugs
We are not near the other approach, but regardless of how one feels, discussion, debate and research would be helpful. In the meantime, we have serious problems and the Schedule is vital. This issue indicates the need to have a Minister with responsibility solely for drug and alcohol policy and addiction. It is also needed because of the current debate on harm reduction measures which is gaining momentum. There is a place for harm reduction measures, but there are concerns, especially about the overuse and long-term use of methadone. The optimum goal has to be recovery for those in addiction.
Gangland crime was the subject of a committee on justice, equality, defence and women’s rights recently during which people from the north inner city made presentations. They painted a very dark picture of how individuals are being targeted for debt. When an addict dies, the debt does not die with him or her; families are under pressure to pay. Young mothers, in particular, are being targeted. I will quote from a report in which a user said,
“One of the people I get stuff (heroin) off like sometimes he would send his son out and his son is in my young fella’s class, to hand you it and you hand him the money and he hands you the gear. He is only 12.”
New tablets are appearing all the time, such as zimovane and zopiclone. How will they be included in further legislation? There is no doubt that as one tablet is made illegal another will take its place. The Bill needs to address that. We do not often get a chance to discuss drugs in the House, and it is important that we are now having this debate. We need to support the drug-free CE schemes and accommodation, the local projects which are working directly with those in addiction and those in homeless services who have an addiction issue and who, when motivated, can be linked into services.
As we speak, I am quite sure that there are “scientists” who, at the behest of drug dealers, are working on new drugs involving some combination of what is there already or that will replace what will be on the schedule. Time is of the essence when any of these new drugs appear. Another new drug could appear tomorrow involving some combination of what is there now. If we do not move quickly enough on these new drugs, they grab a hold of young and older people. The legislation, when it appears, will be too late for many of them.
What the Minister is bringing in now will cover some amount, but it will not cover everything and the hands of the gardaí will remain tied in the future. There has to be action when it is needed, not at a later date when they have probably gone on to another drug.
It is disappointing that the Minister will not accept the amendment. I want to see a more prompt and more urgent response when new drugs appear.
