Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also wish the new Minister of State the best of luck in his new job. I welcome the motion on the basis that it will open up a much wider debate and allow more people to express their opinions. Tackling Ireland's drugs problem requires a multifaceted approach. While some aspects of the current system simply do not work, much good work is being done at community level in programmes that discourage young people from taking drugs and point to the dangers of excessive alcohol use. Recent months have seen substantial hauls of illegal drugs, especially of cannabis. The large supply chain reflects a significant demand, and it is only through tackling demand, targeting resources and imposing stricter penalties for supplying that Ireland will get to grips with this issue.

I am open to any debate on drugs, but before we talk about the problems, we should try to come up with solutions. I do not believe, however, in legalising drugs. I come from a youth work background and I know we cannot continue to pretend the current strategy is working, because it is not. Drugs exist and continue to get into this country and to be abused in a way that is unacceptable.

The motion calls on the Government to prioritise addiction as a health issue, to continue to support local and regional drugs strategies, improve support for socially disadvantaged people at greatest risk of addiction, introduce legislation to deal with the Internet sourcing of and access to drugs, and promote innovative programmes such as ASIST and Mindfulness that deal with mental health and addiction issues. All those are worthy ideals.

The scale of addiction in Ireland is great and the main drug causing devastation in Irish families is alcohol. The number of drug and alcohol related deaths each year is more than twice the number of deaths on the roads. Hundreds of children are in care because of their families' problems with drug and alcohol addiction. Alcohol is a significant factor in a number of suicides, and self-harm is responsible for huge numbers of assaults and public order incidents. The figures go on and on. Alcohol increases the risks of more than 60 medical conditions such as cancer and is associated with large numbers of acute hospital beds being occupied every night. A quarter of injuries presenting to emergency departments are related to drug and alcohol abuse.

In recent years, Ireland has seen a huge reduction in the carnage on the roads. Road deaths decreased from 411 in 2001 to 186 last year. The success of the strategy employed in tackling road deaths must be examined and used in the fight against drugs. While enforcement of legislation played a key role in the fight to create safer roads, a sea-change in the driving culture was a key element in that success. Effecting a cultural change is particularly difficult and, for road deaths, it was tackled on a number of fronts, including high visibility enforcement of the law, education programmes in schools and increased awareness of the statistics county by county and month by month. Advertising, especially graphic television advertising, effected a cultural change in this area.

At present, I believe that through the DrinkAware campaign, the drinks industry has the perfect vehicle for effecting little or no change. Advertising cheap wine in an off-licence with a tag underneath encouraging people to drink responsibly is a waste of time. Members should consider the television advertisement currently running on our screens that encourages people to drink at their own pace. While I agree with the message, it simply shows young people in a trendy setting drinking and having a good time. The only downside to so doing was that drinking a little too fast was the point from which the real harm was coming and perhaps they should slow down a little and enjoy their beautiful surroundings. Members should contrast that message with the image of the young man drinking and having fun with his mates after a match who then gets into a car, only to plough into a garden in which a young boy playing football is mowed down. The advertising by the Road Safety Authority, which is not a vested interest, is much more graphic and appears to be much more effective. Perhaps the time has come to create a drugs awareness authority with a remit and budget similar to the Road Safety Authority in the knowledge that some of the cultural change may be effected and the State would save billions in terms of health costs, policing costs and the creation of a safer and more pleasant community.

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