Calls have been made in Clare for a fresh approach towards dealing with drug abuse here.
It comes as the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice is meeting next week to discuss alternatives to dealing with the issue, including the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use.
Almost two decades ago Portugal decriminalised drugs for personal use and since then, there’s been a dramatic fall in the number of overdoses and HIV cases and an increase in the number of people there seeking help.
Now a similar approach is to be considered here. Decriminalising the possession of small amounts of heroin, cannabis and ecstasy is being proposed in the upcoming National Drugs Strategy, which is due to be published this summer.
The document will recommend looking at international practises, like those in Portugal, when it comes to dealing with someone who’s caught with a small amount of drugs for personal use.
The Joing Committee on Justice is due to meet next week and Ennistymon Senator Martin Conway, who’s a member, says it’s becoming increasingly clear that there’s now a need to think outside the box on this issue:
Ellen O’Neal, who counsels in private practise in Ennis, believes the money spent on convicting drug users would be better channeled towards providing treatment:
