Results 6,841-6,860 of 7,412 for speaker:Neasa Hourigan
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: I might move on-----
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: That is fascinating. I might move to the HSE and its safer nightlife programme, the social inclusion aspect and how it was dealt with by the citizens' assembly. There was a suggestion the HSE needs more funding and expansion. Could someone put some bones on that? What exactly does it need for that to work better?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: Yes. I was delighted to see that.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: That was amazing, by the way. The uptake in synthetic opioids is really scary.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: The HSE need more funds, more resources and I presume more staff.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: I will ask it like this in a benign way; if we doubled the funding, would that be useful?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: I know I am over time but I have just one quick question, or maybe two. A witness talked about children being coerced into the drug trade, which is I suppose more accurate than drug taking, and these are young children. What is the youngest Mr. Ryan is aware of in that cohort of children who are being asked to do look-out duties or whatever it might be?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: Eight year olds being asked to look-out.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: On the issue of referrals or the health-led scheme, one person who is a recovered addict said to me a couple of years ago, and it really stuck with me, that they were worried about any change in policy because they see the criminal system as the gateway to service provision. As in, you get your health services when you get a conviction. That really shocked and surprised me. While I very...
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: Mr. Ryan is a representative of the Department of Justice and there is no discretion from that side. I know there is discretion from the individual's side but is there discretion from that side?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I want to use my four minutes to talk about potency of drugs. Before I do, I wish to return to the issue of Oregon reversing some of its work on drug decriminalisation. It is important we put on record that when it took that action three years ago it interacted with a thirteenfold increase in drug overdose due to fentanyl, which nobody who engaged in that...
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: Forensic Science Ireland is doing it on the basis that a file has been sent to the DPP and there is going to be a prosecution.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: In the case of a particular substance, if the potency is considered especially high, as opposed to a less potent version of the same substance, does that impact the conviction?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: The type of substance and not the potency of the substance.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: In the context of a sector that has seen potency exponentially increase, with all the problematic impacts that would have on people, I ask all three groups whether they think the current legislation is suitable to deal with that issue. Does the current legislative approach address potency?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: I think the answer from Mr. Ryan is it does not, at all.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: -----it does not matter to the Department-----
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: If it was 1978 and you had a joint and it was one level and you get arrested in 2008 and it is eight times more potent it makes no difference to the Department.
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: Okay, but the impact on the person is completely different. Does he take that point?
- Committee on Drugs Use: Drug Use Policy: HSE, Department of Justice and Department of Health (20 Jun 2024)
Neasa Hourigan: What Ms McArdle means by that is if there is a new drug the HSE puts it onto the list of controlled substances and it is now something that would be recognised. I am asking how the HSE's current policies are addressing situations where is an existing drug the nature of which is changing out of all recognition.