Mr. Cathal O'Regan:

Recommendation 26 is a good example of how these issues cannot be tackled in a piecemeal fashion. On one hand, members of the assembly voted for a zero-tolerance approach to drug-related intimidation and violence and every effort that can be made by community groups, the Drive Project and so forth to tackle that issue, but recommendation 14, which states that in parallel the State should develop alternative pathways for vulnerable young people in communities who are lured into a life of criminality at an early age, should not be ignored.

It is recognising that we heard a huge amount of concern about the role of criminal gangs in bringing young people in at an early age for low-level distribution. We are recognising the complexity of the problem and saying there are different parts of the solution. One is zero tolerance of the criminal activities of drug-related intimidation and violence. However, at the same time, it means taking a more sensible approach to helping young people. We heard a lot of input from community development workers, youth workers and so on talking about the challenges at community level to try to counteract the influence of criminal gangs in this area. There is a range of different recommendations that speak about the social determinants of drug use, the need for a focus on community development and trying to resolve the underlying problems of poverty and deprivation while at the same time not giving leeway to the criminal gangs that manipulate and damage the lives of so many young people.