Mr. Tony Geoghegan:

I thank the Chairman and committee members. Merchants Quay Ireland welcomes the opportunity to make an input into this debate. We appreciate it is a topical debate and one that engenders a large range of emotional and ideological responses. Merchants Quay Ireland is a national drug treatment service and provides services across the spectrum of drug misuse from crisis intervention services through to detox, community detox, residential detox, residential rehabilitation, aftercare and some social housing. As such, any input we have into the debate is specifically from a drug treatment perspective as this is where our experience and expertise lie.

Merchants Quay Ireland views addiction as primarily a health and social issue and as such believes that it is best dealt with in the health and social care system. It is our firm belief, based on our many years of experience, that diverting drug users from the criminal justice system into drug treatment services is by far and away the most effective way of addressing the drugs problem. In this regard, as a number of the earlier presenters have mentioned, there is strong evidence, both from Irish and international research, that engagement in drug treatment leads to significant and sustained reductions in drug use, drug related crime and anti-social behaviour. Professor Catherine Comiskey can speak much more fully about the ROSIE study on drug treatment outcomes which was conducted in Ireland under the auspices of the national advisory committee on drugs. It showed that where there was engagement in drug treatment, regardless of what type of modality people engaged in, whether crisis services, day services, residential services, and regardless of whether it was a harm reduction approach or a total abstinence approach, there were still significant gains right across the spectrum in terms of health, social functioning, relationships and reductions in crime. Ms Deirdre Malone mentioned the British Home Office. Its cost-benefit analysis on drug treatment provision estimated that for every £1 spent on treatment there was a £3 saving in terms of criminal justice costs and that saving increased significantly when health and social costs were taken into account.

We see the decriminalisation of the possession of a limited amount of certain drugs as a positive mechanism for diverting people from the criminal justice system into the health and social care services. I reiterate some of the other points. The fact that possession of a limited amount of certain drugs for personal use would not be a criminal offence does not mean there would not be intervention with the person. It simply means that rather than a criminal justice sanction being made, a public health intervention would be made with the person. It is important to realise that. In this way, decriminalisation has the potential to impact positively in a number of ways, first, by diverting people into drug treatment and support services at a much earlier stage in their using career. It is important to remember in terms of drugs and drug use that it is not a one-size-fits all approach. There is a plethora of drugs and people use them in all different ways. In terms of engaging with people, the earlier this can be done the better the outcomes.

The second element, post-drug treatment, is something on which a number of people have touched. Decriminalisation has the potential to remove one of the most significant barriers to reintegration for those in recovery. We know, unfortunately, that during the course of their drug use so many drug users come in contact with the criminal justice system and often acquire convictions, either for drug use or related matters. There is no facility in Ireland to enable these convictions to become spent, which is contrary to the Government's policy on drugs. The national drugs strategy has a specific rehabilitation pillar which places emphasis on reintegration into society. It is universally accepted that the best outcome for drug users, including those engaged in crime, is rehabilitation and reintegration into society. However, the rehabilitation process is severely hampered. It is nonsense to invest huge amounts of money in trying to engage people in drug treatment, as well as encouraging them to reintegrate into society, when there is such a significant barrier which repeatedly knocks them back in terms of employment, insurance, travel, their own self-esteem and how they feel. That matter is really important.

In summary, I would like to highlight a couple of points. Decriminalisation has the potential to direct drug users out of the criminal justice system and into drug treatment. In its own way, that would relieve the burden on the criminal justice system, including in overcrowded prisons, the courts which are run ragged and, to some extent, the Garda. Equally important, for people who are experiencing problems or using drugs, it would increase their access to and contact with drug treatment services. Other significant public health gains would come out of this, including a reduction in the spread of hepatitis and HIV. Our experiences during the years have shown us that the criminalisation of drug use does not act as a deterrent when somebody decides to start using drugs. It does, however, impact significantly on them when they try to stop using them. From a treatment perspective, therefore, we would welcome this initiative.