Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

I commend the Independent Deputies on drawing attention to very important issues in respect of the dangerous drug situation in this country and, particularly, for emphasising the ongoing and devastating consequences of heroin addiction, particularly in working class communities. The motion also notes the failure of the Government to formulate an effective strategy in respect of dangerous drugs.

The political and business establishment is guilty of monumental hypocrisy in respect of the drugs situation. We hear the ritual condemnation of drugs deemed to be illegal and of those who import and distribute them and devastate communities, particularly those who import heroin or crack cocaine and foist them on communities in whose destruction they are instrumental. These people must be condemned and driven out. I salute those people, particularly working-class people, who democratically rose up in response to the destruction of their communities to condemnation from certain pillars of the establishment.

However, among those who are foremost in condemning illegal drugs are people who benefit from the massive industries built around very dangerous drugs which happen to be legal, particularly nicotine and ethyl alcohol. It is beyond belief that the State still permits the deployment of millions of euro each year to portray alcohol as a sexy, social and beneficial drug without which people could not possibly live when its abuse destroys thousands of lives each year, disables many people physically and socially and contributes to devastating behaviour, leaving some people tragically dead or injured as a result of the violence caused by the misuse of alcohol. However, the pillars of the alcohol and nicotine establishment are feted in Irish society and are among its elite. They are shamefully allowed to sponsor major sports events. It is incredible that the All-Ireland Gaelic football and hurling championships are named after alcohol companies. Similarly, soccer leagues and leagues in other sports are named after alcohol products when we see what the misuse of these products does.

I am not a prohibitionist. Hopefully, most of us use drugs sensibly and they play a very useful role in our lives. However, I am convinced that the advertising of these drugs should be prohibited. We need a wide-ranging and honest debate on prohibitionism, which is the only main policy of this Government, the US Governments and those in other states with regard to drugs like heroin, because it is not successful. It is not sustainable to criminalise a whole swathe of people, particularly young people in this State who use cannabis. It is extremely dangerous to put cannabis on the same footing as heroin, as the law and the Government do, so that the penalties are the same and those who criminally ruin communities with heroin are also those who interface with young people when they go to buy cannabis. We need an honest and balanced debate on whether, for example, cannabis can be regulated to take it out of the hands of the gangsters. We do not want to inflict another new scourge on society by any means. It is true that cannabis, like alcohol and nicotine, has dangerous side effects. However, alcohol and nicotine are still pushed heavily by very wealthy pillars of our establishment.

It is criminal that Weston Aerodrome can be used, as Deputy Catherine Murphy has outlined, apparently at will for potentially massive heroin consignments. It is the working class communities of west Dublin, the inner city and other areas which will suffer in that situation.

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