Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I thank the Minister of State for his overview of the current national drugs strategy and his intentions in regard to the new strategy for 2009-16. Until recently I was a member of the Bray local drugs task force, so I had an opportunity to experience directly the implementation of the national drugs strategy at a local level. I was very impressed by the cross-sectoral and partnership approach and the quality of the projects being funded by the strategy.

It is opportune to talk about the national drugs strategy as we approach its conclusion. I hope this debate will influence the content of the new strategy. There is much in the programme for Government on the shape of that, which is very encouraging. In the new drugs strategy, I hope we move away from the central thrust of the previous one, which was tackling the scourge of heroin abuse, and that we broaden it out. As other speakers said, there is polydrug abuse in society. There is widespread availability of drugs such as cocaine, hash and crack cocaine. We must also look at the issue of alcohol. To date, our drugs strategy has focused on the hard drugs which have been sources of concern. To a certain extent, we have excluded alcohol from the focus of the drugs strategy and it very much needs to be incorporated into it. Perhaps that could be included in the forthcoming drugs strategy.

Like other speakers, I regret the action of the pharmacists in withdrawing the methadone treatment programme from very vulnerable people. While we might empathise with the fact the pharmacists believe they have a very real grievance and want to express their concerns about the recent Government decision, that they chose to target a vulnerable, at-risk group to highlight it is unacceptable. I hope they will reconsider their decision and that in the meantime, an interim supply system for that group will be made available.

In terms of evaluating the previous drugs strategy, more than 8,200 heroin users receive methadone treatment. That is a 66% increase on the 2000 figures. That is a very clear indication that the national drugs strategy has been successful in its central focus. However, one of the issues highlighted in the 2005 review of the national drugs strategy was the fact we would need to move beyond methadone maintenance because many addicts remain on methadone maintenance for years. In fact, some remain on it for the rest of their lives, which is not a desirable outcome. The fifth pillar proposed in the 2005 review of the national drugs strategy was about introducing rehabilitation. An integrated rehabilitation provision for serious drug addicts should be a central focus of the new drugs strategy.

Unfortunately, drug use is on the increase in Ireland. That has to do with increased affluence and a greater acceptability of what is referred to as recreational drug use. However, there are very negative consequences to this widespread availability and abuse of drugs. Communities experience the types of problems which go with drug abuse and the drugs trade generally, which include anti-social behaviour, general insecurity and fear of violence. Unfortunately, the violence ranges from more minors examples of intimidation to more serious punishment beatings to shootings for small drugs debts to the terrifying gangland murders which are becoming increasingly common. Drug abuse and its connection with serious crime in Ireland comprise an area of growing concern. There are clear challenges to be tackled in the new drugs strategy. We can take some of our cues from the mid-term review of the current strategy, published in 2005, which review refers to adjusting some of the strategy's priorities. These include increasing Garda resources in the local drugs task force areas, placing greater emphasis on community policing, establishing local community policing forums and preventing drug dealing. The review refers to specialist training of the Judiciary in respect of drug related issues, the development and implementation of substance abuse policies in all the schools of the local drugs task force areas and the introduction of school-based prevention programmes. It is very important to educate children of school-going age on the risks and dangers of substance abuse generally.

We need more treatment options and a greater range, given the increasing choice of available drugs. Greater emphasis must be placed on integrated rehabilitation provisions in the new drugs strategy. This will lead to certain challenges arising from resource implications. Increasing Garda resources will have such implications, but it is important to remember short-term costs will result in long-term benefits. If we do not tackle all the problems in communities riddled with drugs, we will end up with much higher costs, including costs associated with prisons.

The Green Party would support a new properly resourced national drugs strategy. We hope it would emphasise community policing, rehabilitation services and greater community supports for families affected by drugs. We also hope it would take bold steps, including steps to ensure the provision of clean needles in prisons. Consideration should be given to injecting rooms, as proposed by the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Rather than continuing to deny there is a drugs problem in our prisons and problems with HIV transmission, pilot programmes should be put in place to allow for the provision of clean needles and injecting rooms in the main prisons. An increase in community employment places should be considered so as to benefit recovering addicts.

The issue of alcohol will not go away. There is a voluntary code of self-control in the alcohol advertising industry but we need to adopt a stronger approach to the issue. I hope the Minister will consider this in the forthcoming strategy.