Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Let me in the broadest and warmest sense welcome the citizens’ assembly on drugs. As I was sitting here listening to a previous speaker mentioning the pathway to this much-needed and long overdue assembly, I was thinking to myself of the journey that has taken place in communities all over this country and, in particular, in my own community in the north inner city. If we believe the citizens’ assembly reflects democracy as a forum where these ideas are going to be discussed, trashed out and improved, which has been the case in the past, I remember that my first political engagements many years ago were on my local drugs task force as a community representative. That was my first involvement politically and, in fact, the very first political meetings I had ever been at as a kid in the north inner-city were assemblies about the scourge of drug addiction in those communities.

These assemblies and the discussion of the atrocious, incredibly devastating impacts on communities, individuals and families have been taking place around this country for decades. It is with this in mind that I strongly implore the Minister of State and those who will be involved in creating this scenario in a very short space of time to recognise that an incredible responsibility will be placed on those lucky enough to be on this assembly. If not exactly looking in from the outside, then certainly looking in with great curiosity will be the communities and families who have been impacted by this scourge and its devastating impact, who will want to know what is happening and will want to feel engaged. I ask the Minister of State to find the means by which we can explain to all communities the purpose of the citizens’ assembly, the matters that are going to be discussed and the ramifications of it, because this will be a topic of conversation throughout all of our communities that have been devastated by this issue over the last four decades.

I want to conclude by referencing some of the people in my own community who have demonstrated huge leadership on this issue over the last four decades. In particular, when I go out to talk to communities about this assembly, the person I will miss most is Mr. Fergus McCabe, who passed away a couple of years ago and who was the founder of CityWide and a number of other drug-related responses. Community leaders such as Fergus, who for years demonstrated incredible leadership in fighting back against the scourge of addiction and bringing care and compassion to the forefront of this issue, will be sadly missed.

There is a job of work for all of us around the political and civic leadership space to talk to our communities about the assembly, and a job of work for those of us across the Chamber who will be on the bodies afterwards in terms of working with great speed to implement its recommendations. I think we can do it and I am very excited about it. I congratulate those who have brought this to the fore.

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