Dr. Sharon Lambert:

The question to me was about how the Government could prioritise it and the answer is by having a health-led approach to drug use. While there has been a lot of talk about that and various committees, as well as the citizens' assembly, have discussed it over the years, we still do not actually have a health-led approach. We still have a criminal justice approach and Ms O'Reilly just spoke about the amount of money that is spent on that. If that money was actually diverted into health, it would make a real difference. Addiction is a mental health issue but it is still hanging around the edges of justice. My recommendation would be to move addiction into mental health and implement a serious health-led approach, not a health-led-light approach that would satisfy people who have a moral objection. We need an actual evidence-based, health-led approach.