Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that we are bringing together a Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use. We must find a better way to meet the diverse health needs of people who use drugs and, at the same time, explore ways to prevent the harmful impact of drugs on children, families and communities. I have seen families torn apart, where perhaps a child or someone else in the family has started to take drugs and they have been crying out for help. This citizens' assembly, therefore, is going to be crucial.

Looking at the Port of Rotterdam, which is Europe's second largest container terminal, this is well known as a prominent entry point for illicit drugs shipped to Europe from Latin America. Last month, data reported to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA, highlighted how "cocaine seizures in Antwerp had risen from 91 tonnes in 2021 to close to 110 tonnes in 2022, making Antwerp the leading port for cocaine seizures in Europe". This seems far away, but it is not.

We see the rise in this regard, leading to a rise in competition between criminal networks and an increase in violence and clashes all the time. We see this violence spilling over to those outside the drug market. This is the criminal side of drug use and we need to call it out. On the other side, service providers across the country, dealing with people suffering due to drug use or addiction, are facing closure because of a lack of funding. This is a major issue. There are so many places with great facilities crying out for funding and it is not there. There is an increase in demand for drugs. Local and regional drug and alcohol task forces in communities all need funding. The use of drugs is on the rise and people need to be educated about the links between drug use and long-term mental health issues. If we saw greater investment in the local task forces, then we could achieve this change. I go to all the joint policing committee meetings and all over the country, time and again, drugs are always cited as one of the most challenging problems in society and more resources are always sought.

It is vital that we hear the voice of young people on this topic, as they can be especially impacted by drug use. I look forward to hearing the outcome of the consultation with Comhairle na nÓg and the youth drug projects in disadvantaged areas, which will be presented to the citizens' assembly for its consideration during its inaugural meeting in April 2023. When it concludes its work and submits a report to the Oireachtas by the end of 2023, I will be eager to hear what steps we can take to best reflect a partnership approach and give a stronger voice to the civil society implementation of the drug use strategy. This is crucial. All of us must be so mindful of drug use and I really welcome this citizens' assembly.

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