AHEAD OF TOMORROW’S general election, TheJournal.ie has been asking each political party for their positions on a variety of issues affecting people across Ireland.
In November 2015 the Oireachtas Justice Committee recommended that the possession of drugs for personal use be decriminalised, and that those found in possession attend counselling and treatment meetings to help them stop using drugs. They stated that the party has “no plans to legalise what is commonly referred to as recreational cannabis”.
They said the party is “happy to support any measures that provide for cannabis-based medicines being prescribed by qualified medical professionals to alleviate suffering”. However, they added that this process “should be strictly controlled and the use of cannabis and cannabis-related products for medicinal purposes should be regulated like other medicines”.
They added that the party does not want all drugs to be decriminalised, saying this “could send the wrong signal that drugs were not harmful, whereas some illegal drugs have serious long-term consequences for people’s health”. The party wants “a more compassionate policy based on international best practice can be introduced within existing constraints under international law”.
They said the “act of consumption does not make one a criminal”, adding that “people’s lives should not be blighted” in terms of employment prospects and not being allowed to travel to countries such as the US. In terms of cannabis, they said the party favour decriminalisation “but there should be a regulatory agency to ensure that the product is safe and is not adulterated with dangerous substances by criminal elements”.
In December An Bord Plenála granted planning permission for Ireland’s first supervised injecting facility in Dublin city centre. In a statement issued in December, MQI said: “With one death every day in Ireland from a drug overdose, this facility will save lives. A Fianna Fáil spokesperson noted that the party “supported the introduction of such a centre on a pilot basis with regular reviews, including feedback from stakeholders, undertaken to measure its success”.
We need to be rational here and keep drugs in the hands of criminals. We need drugs to be illegal to give Gardai powers of search at random and be a nice earner for solicitors.
The problem with the FG system is it overwhelms vital services with occasional users who happened to be caught. This means people who are in genuine need of help go without, usually leading to the situation getting worse. The resources are not in line with the policy, at all.
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