Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which proposes to criminalise the purchase of a controlled drug from a child and criminalise the act of causing a child to be in possession of a controlled drug for sale or supply, and to provide for related matters.

As we are well aware, the misuse of illicit drugs has reached a level in this country we have not seen before. It is affecting people from all walks of life - from the vulnerable to the well-off. Illegal drugs have managed to get a hold in our cities as well as our towns and villages in increasing levels, which are affecting all communities as well as our schools. I repeat for the Minister that it is affecting our schools, which is a very serious issue and one that has been overlooked and not managed very well in schools throughout our country.

We hear stories from all over the world that drug dealers are using children under the age of 18 to distribute and sell illegal drugs, but we do not need to look abroad to see that. It is happening on our own streets.

I would like to see harsher penalties imposed on people who use and manipulate children into dealing drugs. This amendment Bill states that offences under this section are hybrid offences that can be prosecuted in either the District Court or the Circuit Court. The maximum penalties in the District Court are a fine of up to €3,000 and-or imprisonment of up to a maximum of 12 months. The maximum penalties if the case is tried in the Circuit Court is a jail term of up to ten years and-or a fine. I believe the District Court penalties are too lenient. A real deterrent must be put in place to stop these people from dragging children into a lifestyle surrounded by addiction and crime.

According to the Ireland Drug Report 2018, cannabis is the most popular illegal drug in Ireland. Those figures do not distinguish between recreational users and people who use cannabis for medical purposes. Vera Twomey, Yvonne Cahalane and other families in Ireland had to endure terrible hardships to get life-changing medicine for their children. It is a disgrace that they had to go to the lengths they did to get medicinal cannabis for their children. We should introduce medicinal cannabis safely into our country that would only be available through a pharmacy and under strict regulations. Medicinal cannabis has been legalised in more than ten European countries, Canada and Australia and 30 states in the US. We need to step up to the plate and stop innocent children who have rare conditions suffering more than they already do.

I commend the stellar work that An Garda Síochána is doing in taking illegal drugs off our streets. Almost weekly we hear of high-profile drug seizures. It is my understanding that if a child is over the age of criminal responsibility and that leads to the child being charged and brought before the Courts Service, penalties are usually minimal and not a deterrent. We need to examine ways to deter young people from being talked into going down this path. That is the road we need to travel at this stage.

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