Dr. Mariam Jashi:

I thank the Deputy for his question. Hearing from him and his esteemed colleagues, of course, every country has its own local context where the policies should be adapted in the context of how best to enforce and balance the approach. From Ireland's perspective, the Swiss model could be even more interesting to explore because it brings in the human rights and public health approach of prevention, harm reduction and reintegration of enforcement of stronger efforts at illicit drug market control.

We would be delighted, through the UNITE Drug Policy Desk, to provide a detailed description of the Swiss model that members could use for reference. The results are truly astonishing, with a 50% drop in heroin overdose deaths and 80% drop in heroin users. Switzerland has also introduced heroin-assisted health services for drug users where other approaches of drug replacement were not successful. The Swiss model could be a very interesting addition to sharing experience for Ireland.

As I have to leave - my apologies, I have another commitment - and since the committee has already advanced these discussions, I appeal to members and their colleagues not to miss this opportunity to adopt a balanced drug policy response. The examples from Portugal, Switzerland and some other countries have proven that it saves lives. Despite all the challenges that could appear on the law enforcement front, I am sure the optimal solution can be found.