Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister of State all the best in his new role, which involves responsibility for drugs. However, given the delivery of his 16-page speech and the fact it was printed beforehand, he might as well have posted it out to us and we could have read it at our leisure. I did not see the fire and passion we need and which, in fairness, the Minister of State shows in many other areas. I want him to take my remarks constructively. He displays excellent resolve in many areas and needs to do so in this one. Some original thinking is required. Many of the previous approaches have not worked. If the objective is for us to eliminate illegal drug use, which I presume it is, as a society and a Government we have failed miserably in that. My party was in government for many of those years and I do not exempt us from criticism on this issue.

The appointment of the Minister of State was very welcome. It was late, which was not his fault but rather that of the Government. There seemed to be complete forgetfulness in this area. On one of the few occasions on which I saw Leaders' Questions on the television, I saw Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan ask the Taoiseach about a drugs issue. His answer was, essentially, that he would get back to the Deputy. It struck me at the time that for a Taoiseach of the country not to be completely au faitwith this area was disappointing, to be quite honest.

Earlier this year Fianna Fáil brought forward new policy proposals seeking to address the challenge of the prevalence of drug abuse in society. It is a challenge and there is no point in denying that. The people who advocate legalisation strategies cannot deny that there is a problem. The problem is not simply the illegal distribution of drugs; rather, the problem is the effects many of the illegal drugs have on people in terms of addiction, and the long-term effects some non-addictive drugs appear to have on people. We all know people who smoke a lot of cannabis and - let us be honest - it has an effect on them. The idea that cannabis is a harmless drug or does not cause problems is not correct. We know people who smoke it on a very regular basis and are not fulfilling their normal roles in society, as far as I can see.

Fianna Fáil pledged to appoint a Minister for drugs because at the time we saw that there was a clear gap and that a Minister with specific responsibility for this problem was needed. There are also health and justice issues, as well as how we deal with people in communities where drug abuse is rampant. We welcome the fact that the Government has finally appointed the Minister of State. Fianna Fáil is often accused of having no policies, but this was one policy that was adopted. We had such a policy when in government, and we felt it needed to continue.

We want to build on the national drugs strategy, and the Minister of State is considering that. We hope that is done relatively quickly. The Minister of State referred to the period after 2016. We want to implement a new national substance misuse strategy which is inclusive of all drugs, including alcohol and cannabis. In fairness to the Minister of State, there was substantial discussion of alcohol in his speech.

We need to address antisocial behaviour experienced in cities as a result of drug abuse. Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell famously did a slot on the "Today" show on RTE about O'Connell Street and the difficulties encountered by people walking on it, and there is no doubt that a lot of the difficulties are drug-fuelled. Fianna Fáil also believes that after-care services need to be improved. There is no point in pretending that things in this area are static. The landscape of drug use in Ireland has changed dramatically and there are emerging needs regarding the nature and prevalence of drug use throughout the country.

We once thought heroin was a problem of inner-city Dublin. Everyone's eyes have been opened to the heroin problem. Substance misuse is complex and cuts across other issues, including poverty and a lack of resources in communities. It has a major impact, and the problem can be caused by various social and personal factors. The drugs issue causes other problems. There is a chain reaction.

Alcohol and cannabis misuse is prevalent. I understand that alcohol misuse among young people is decreasing overall, about which I am glad, but it may not be enough compared to the situation ten years ago or more. That may have something to do with the financial situation and the price of alcohol. Many people drink less now than they did when economic times were better, and maybe that is a good thing. There seems to have been a lack of urgency on the part of the Government to address the issue, which has resulted in an inadequate response. We would say this was symbolised by the negligence of the Cabinet, which has responsibility for appointing Ministers of State, in appointing a Minister of State with responsibility for drugs.A former Fianna Fáil Minister, Pat Carey, helped to tie things together between different Departments and agencies in order to bring forward a strategy.

My party has published its national drugs action plan, but I was not involved in its production as I was not the spokesperson on drugs at the time. My colleagues who produced the plan had extensive consultation with various groups. My colleague Senator Darragh O'Brien is chairman of the drugs task force on the north side of Dublin, so he has great experience of this issue. My colleagues spoke to the groups who are working to tackle the abuse of drugs at community level. People had an overwhelming sense that the drugs crisis had slipped off the Government's agenda. I encourage the Minister of State to show the same passion he has displayed when debating other issues such as asylum seekers. His personal commitment to the marriage equality referendum has been second to none. On certain issues he might not get the result that he wants from the Cabinet. I ask him to give a personal commitment to tackle this issue, because he is capable of making changes and getting a better response from the Government.

My party's first proposal was to appoint a Minister with responsibility for drugs. Communication between the various services in the Department of Health, the Department of Justice and Equality, social services, Tusla, local government and community services can be conducted on an ad hoc basis, and services often operate in isolation. There is a genuine and urgent need for political leadership, which the Minister of State has the potential to provide, in order to create workable structures and to close the gap that has emerged between the Government, which is the maker of policy, and the providers on the ground.

There is an escalating crisis in polydrug use and the increasing use of cannabis. I do not favour any legalisation of cannabis, even in other forms, because it changes one's personality.

As the Minister of State has mentioned, the sale and abuse of prescription drugs has infiltrated communities across the country. I have a lot more to say on drugs, but I only have eight minutes. Let us be clear. The Minister of State has an important role to play. Other matters have gone off the agenda because they have been dealt with. It is now time for him to grasp this nettle and do what he can. I urge him to get his house in order, get the strategy laid down and get the agencies to work together to curb drug abuse. The problem is increasing in areas where it would not have been in existence ten years ago. Heroin use is a relatively static phenomenon but it has caused huge problems for a lot of people. The drugs landscape has changed so much, as the Minister of State acknowledged in his speech. My party will support him once he is seen to be tackling the issue and making a genuine effort.