Joe O'Toole (Independent)

They certainly do kill people, but these deaths comprise the minority.

The biggest problem being created by drugs today is the associated crime. It is absolutely hypocritical for anybody to stand up in the House and say he is driven by constituents who are worried about drug abuse. The people who drive us, telephone us and write to the newspapers do so because of the crime associated with drugs misuse. This is the reality and we should examine it.

We are wasting time dealing with cannabis, which is less dangerous than tobacco. One can like this fact or lump it. I am not in favour of having another drug of choice by making cannabis available – this is not my point – but we should recognise that it is less dangerous and addictive than tobacco and that we are wasting huge amounts of resources in this area.