Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Ó Concubhair for that. Mr. Glynn might like to come in here as well. My concern relates to drug dependence. I worked in a business in the healthcare space that involved regulated opioids and I have seen the addictive nature of those drugs. How are we to stop recreational drug users embarking on a pathway to a range of different drugs? Vaping might be an example. It started as one thing but we now see it going off in a number of different directions and being commodified, marketed and so on. How do we stop that happening in the drug trade? How do we stop people being exposed to highly addictive substances? That is the problem. It is not about recreational drug use. The problem is the substances themselves. If you end up going up this ladder to heavy opioids, you could end up with a very significant drug dependency problem. It is very difficult to kick that habit and to stay off it.