Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister of State the best of luck in her new position.

So-called legal highs are playing havoc in my constituency, Cavan-Monaghan, to the same extent that they are nationally, and they are causing untold damage to families. The families of the young people who have consumed the drugs know only too well the destruction these substances have caused. In my own area, for instance, the difficulty with the policing of these substances is coupled with the unique problems the Border poses and the availability of these substances in the North.

These so-called legal highs are so hard to police because one day they are called “Clockwork Orange” and the next they are called “N-bomb”. It is very difficult when the substances have varying and ever-changing names and compositions. This is making it very difficult to prosecute. The drugs are quickly made and easily disposable. When a ban is placed on a particular drug, manufacturers are able to replace it quickly with another substance that is similar in effect but different in its chemical make-up, thus making it technically legal.

To make the detection of drugs even more difficult in my constituency, Cavan-Monaghan, we have lost our dedicated drugs unit in recent years. Members of the general force are working hard to make up for this loss and combat the issue of drugs in our area. Although they have had some success, is it feasible to have members of the general force dealing with this growing epidemic? I am calling for the reinstatement of the dedicated drugs unit in Cavan-Monaghan. The drug detection rate is down in the Garda division of Cavan-Monaghan and we believe we are entering a new era of drug dealing. Dealers and users are becoming more discreet and secretive, with detections falling as a result.

The Garda has said the drugs scene is forever changing. Legal highs are available in our schools and people are ordering drugs from their homes as if they were takeaways, making it harder to police. Local people are saying it is time to change the legislation to deal with the issue and the hurt being caused by these substances. Lives have already been lost and destruction has been caused among so many families and communities due to the legal loopholes associated with these substances. In 2014, over 200 people turned up for a public meeting in Monaghan to resolve the issue of legal highs. That meeting was prompted following the tragic death of a young local man.

We must equip the Garda with the tools it needs to combat the scourge of legal highs across the country, particularly in my constituency and the whole Border region. I hope this amendment to existing legislation moves swiftly through the Houses, closes the door for dealers of these so-called legal highs, aids the Garda in tackling the issue, and eases the concerns of our constituents.

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