Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to use my speaking time to discuss addiction as a public health issue and the services for addicts that are so badly needed. There are really no services to speak of to support people who are struggling. There is one adolescent bed in St. James's Hospital in the Minister of State's constituency. That would be fine if there was one adolescent in Dublin South Central struggling with drug addiction, but the Minister of State and I know that the problem that exists there far outweighs the availability of any access to services that might serve as a solution. Yet here we are rushing to put through legislation while we systematically neglect the public health aspect, which was mentioned very explicitly in the programme for Government.

Those addicted to substances might now be cut off from their supply as a result of this legislation, without any structured programme for either coming off these substances over time or decreasing their level of use. We do not want to simply criminalise the user by making possession of these drugs illegal without addressing the problems at the heart of it. The Minister of State knows what the problems at the heart of this are and the impact this legislation will have. She knows it will not solve to any great extent the systemic issues that exist.

There needs to be a very sensible approach to the situation of benzodiazepine dependence and its presence on our streets. Legislation should not just be at the forefront of that. Legislation in haste without scrutiny and without the consultation referred to by Deputy Jonathan O'Brien should most certainly not be front and centre of our considerations. In the absence of public health considerations, this legislation could be deemed to be somewhat premature. There are a lot of people dependent on the drugs we are discussing here today. We need to look at this. We need proper treatment facilities and to give people the option of trying to get off this medication. We need further counselling and addiction services and greater community supports. We need to focus on recovery and not simply management of addiction.

Problem drug use is first and foremost a public health issue. That is the Sinn Féin position and it is one that we will continue to advocate for. The provision of services aimed at reducing the harm caused by drug use and safeguarding the health of drug users must be central to any drugs strategy. This is what we should be looking at this evening. Funding for the health services is vitally needed to help addicts, but this funding has been severely cut. The services are now seriously underfunded. For many chronically addicted people, controlling or eliminating the supply of a certain drug does not necessarily result in their getting off drugs; it restricts the use of a drug. While legislation may make some changes to the landscape, it will never be a complete solution. Will this measure address the fundamental causes of problematic behaviour related to drug use or drug dealing? Has the Minister of State considered how this legislation may change trends in drug use and how services that are already without adequate resources will keep up? Has she considered how this may affect people with a benzodiazepine addiction? Has she considered the public health effects of how an addict will cope without access to a treatment bed or services?

If we are to put in place meaningful solutions to the issue of drug use, drug abuse and crime, we need more than this legislation. The Minister mentioned that this Bill is just one part of a suite of measures to respond to the situation in the north inner city, but it is not part of a suite of measures to help addicts, the socioeconomic effects of addiction or, more importantly, the drug problem at large. We need to be able to provide support at every opportunity so that people facing drugs problems personally or in their communities have access to it.

This legislation will not undo 20 or 30 years of under-investment in drug and addiction services or indeed the lack of investment in the communities affected.

This approach and legislation may shift the visibility of drug related anti-social behaviour or increase the presence and competence of the gardaí, but it will not address the root causes. The Minister of State knows that.

We need to target and deal with so-called gangland crime and those who profit from crime and drugs but this measure, standing alone and without any public health measures to accompany it or any funding for addiction services, counselling or otherwise, will not achieve the targeted aims. I have had meetings with groups and representative bodies and many of them have raised issues. Their opinion is that the process of prescriptions right from when a script is written until a person collects their drugs should be looked at. There is a view that we should be looking at a partnership model with GPs, consultants and pharmacists on accountability of how medicines are prescribed. This would allow a situation where it would be possible to follow a chain of why prescriptions were written, for whom and when. Can we or are we doing this? If we are not doing it, why are we not doing it? Are there guidelines for prescribing and dispensing these drugs? If not, why not? If there are, why are they not being implemented? There is a significant public health issue which the Minister of State is trying to avoid with this legislation.

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