Mr. Brendan Minish:

I thank the committee for the invitation to come before it to discuss drug decriminalisation. We at Crainn have been working as advocates for policy reform, harm reduction and the safe regulation of cannabis for almost a year through various online outlets. We have run a number of campaigns online and in person and we work hard to make the case for drug policy reform to the public and legislators.

Irish drug policy has failed society and the vulnerable people it was supposed to protect. For many years, our drug death rates have been among the highest in Europe, at three times the EU average. Hundreds of people in Ireland die every year due to our current approach to drug policy. Addiction and substance abuse are health issues and not criminal ones. Current policy is outdated and clearly does not recognise this fact. A functioning drug policy is one that works towards reducing the harms of drugs. This is possible and it has been done before.

Ireland has much to learn from jurisdictions such as Portugal, Switzerland, Malta, Vancouver and many more. However, we should not copy and paste one programme and expect it to work here. We must come up with our own plan, inspired and influenced by other policies and the latest data. In our submission to the committee, we outline a number of recommendations, taking into consideration what has worked in other areas, what has not worked in other areas and what we hear from those who consume drugs and support services.

We propose that Ireland needs a clear, cohesive multi-year plan that outlines exactly how we are going to reduce drug-related harms.

We need to know where we are going to allocate funds, not only to services but to education as well. Relevant Ministers should show steadfast dedication in diverting the direction of drug policy, not least by meeting with foreign partners and putting together a working policy and updating it in order to ensure it meets current needs. Our future drug policy should also be centralised around a set of core pillars, similar to what is being done in Vancouver and Switzerland. Harm reduction must be central to these pillars.

We also propose a rethinking of how we treat cannabis possession in Ireland. Not only does personal possession of this drug account for the majority of drug-related court cases, costing the State much in funds and also ruining future opportunities for many people, but we have also seen alarming trends in counterfeit cannabis that has extreme adverse health impacts. Regulation is absolutely necessary.

We need engagement across the country that will target areas hit by addiction while being flexible enough to adapt to emerging drug trends. We see services in other countries, such as mobile overdose prevention clinics in Portugal, that can access areas in which infrastructure is not yet established. Pragmatic solutions like this are necessary in Ireland. Without a coherent, compassionate and health-led plan involving all stakeholders, Ireland will fail to make any progress in tackling drug-related harms to society and users.

We acknowledge in our submission the different kinds of drug use and how policy should approach them. We can tackle the alarmingly high rates of addiction in this country. It has been done elsewhere, but we cannot do it without a plan. Our submission provides overviews and analyses of Ireland and the wider world, offers some concrete solutions and raises issues often not covered by the mainstream focus. We hope the committee will consider what we have contributed with due care and will continue to engage with stakeholders on the ground in Ireland and across the world.