Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)

Today, the Labour Party is calling for the urgent adoption of a comprehensive public health approach to the decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use and the development of safer consumption spaces. I thank my party colleague, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, for his work over the past number of years. I thank the Minister of State for not opposing this motion. The purpose of this motion is clear - to highlight the failure of Ireland’s current drugs policy, to see through the work of the citizens’ assembly and, most importantly, to seek decriminalisation of people who use drugs. We have to be honest about drugs and addiction in Ireland. Drugs are in wide use in every community and, as referenced by a number of my colleagues, in every income bracket. This is not an issue confined to certain areas or disadvantaged communities. It is a nationwide issue and we need to change our approach. Criminalising the person has not worked. It has not reduced drug use. It has not reduced drug harm. Instead, it has trapped people in cycles of stigma, poverty and punishment. Current policy is a barrier to treatment, to rehabilitation and to people moving on with their lives. It is not grounded in evidence or respect for human dignity.

When we talk about people who use drugs in our communities, too often the conversation starts with stigma and ends with punishment. The evidence from most other, progressive European countries tells us something different. It tells us that criminalisation does not solve the problem; it just drives people into further harm, stigma and isolation. When someone struggles with alcohol or gambling, we offer treatment and support but when it is drugs, we reach for punishment. That double standard has to end. In countries that have taken a different path, decriminalised possession for personal use and focused on a holistic approach, people are no longer dragged through the courts. Instead, they are referred to health services and social support panels. The results speak for themselves - drug-related deaths have dropped dramatically, rates of serious addiction have fallen and crime has dropped which in itself frees up the criminal justice system. People have rebuilt their lives without fear of being branded a criminal. This has been achieved alongside safe consumption spaces, heroin-assisted treatments and strong social supports. Crucially, overall drug use did not rise.

Decriminalisation makes practical sense. It can reduce pressure on the courts, the Garda and our prison system. It was reported last month that it costs €99,000 to house a prisoner for a year. The current approach does not work. We know that addiction is not a choice, but recovery can be an option if we redirect services and funding into treatment and community supports. This would be a far better use of public money. We have an opportunity to build a model rooted in public health, housing, education and social support that saves lives instead of wasting them in courtrooms and prisons. Right now, too many people are caught in a revolving door in and out of prison and never given a real chance to recover. That cycle has to end but only if we have the courage to change our approach and to treat drug use as a health issue instead of a handcuffs issue. This motion is, above all, is about people.

See this speech in context