David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy White, on his appointment. I also congratulate Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan and the Technical Group on introducing this very important motion, probably one of the most important Private Members' motions we have had for a long time. I found last night's speech by the Minister of State quite devastating. He outlined that there are 14,500 opiate users in the country and gave figures for the number of people drinking alcohol in a harmful manner. Other Members spoke about what we all know, the violence, the anti-social behaviour, the suicides, the road deaths and injuries, domestic violence, the cost to our health system, the productivity losses in the workplace and so on. This is pervasive, invasive and destructive.

As Deputy Dowds said, we need to take action. This week we speak on this topic. Next week we will speak about something else. Tonight I am calling for the establishment of a committee similar to the children's committee, a standing committee to focus on drugs and alcohol alone. The committee needs to be given a remit and a time limit in which to do some work to support the Minister of State and the various task forces which are doing great work. That would allow this House to remain continually focused on this awful issue. The committee on children's rights was very successful - it worked and it delivered. This issue is as important if not more important.

Many contributors to this debate have rightly referred to the disadvantaged young person who is using drugs and whose life is ruined. We empathise with that and know how awful it is. The Minister of State might know the answer to this question. What is the extent of drug use among the middle class, the well off, the people with money, the people who have the pinstriped suits? A few years ago a controversial book was published entitled High Society by Justine Delaney Wilson. It indicated that large amounts of money were being turned over by well-heeled, wealthy, middle-class people. If that is the case they are feeding this industry and this culture, which is something we need to investigate and know about. It is not just people who are disadvantaged but it applies across the board, as the anecdotal evidence will confirm. It does not respect social class, wealth or anything else.

There has been talk about legalisation and decriminalisation. We should look to the experiments that have taken place in other countries in Europe where the results are mixed. Clearly the current strategy is not working. The agencies are doing the best they can and large amounts of illegal drugs are being confiscated. However, we do not know how much is getting through. Anecdotal evidence would suggest it is very large. The report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children should be implemented in full. We need to consider a ban on the sale of spirits to anyone under the age of 21. We need to look at the culture and our approach to alcohol. We often hear someone say: "He's a great man - he drank ten pints last night." That kind of thinking must change. This debate should not be the end of this issue for this House but the start.

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