James Heffernan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State on the excellent result of the marriage equality referendum at the weekend and his efforts in that regard. I also welcome his new role as Minister of State with responsibility for drugs. I was heartened to see the frank, open and honest interview he gave on national television a few weeks ago. It was a breath of fresh air into this debate. I am glad he seems to be the right man for the job. The issue of drugs in our society is quite big. It can often go under the radar and it is something that many of us in Leinster House are a bit afraid of talking about. Talking about drugs and other issues and dealing with them can often be seen as a big taboo. Raising the issue and proposing a debate on alternative ways to deal with drugs, recreational drugs in particular, is something that might not be seen as very popular in constituencies. However, it is a debate that needs to be had.

Drugs are in our society. There is no doubt about that. They have become part and parcel of our society. For many people, they are part and parcel of every weekend. I know how obvious it was to me. Coming back to a small area, one can see people on drugs. When out and about on weekends, some people are in and out of the pub as they would be to smoke a cigarette. They are out taking lines or whatever. It has become a very common occurrence. Most of the people I have been meeting and dealing with are sensible, smart, progressive and forward-thinking. Often we are seen in this House as being far behind the times. Brushing something under the carpet and pretending it is not there is not the way to go. Drugs are no longer the preserve of the hoi polloi and while the likes of celebrity overdoses - Katy French, Gerry Ryan and others - hit the headlines, often the young people who overdose, and there has been an alarming increase in that recently, do not seem to get as much attention. I know of two deaths in Clonroche in Wexford recently. The death of Ana Hick has been mentioned by previous speakers, and Michael Coleman, Liam Coffey and others also come to mind. They took an alternative drug to MDMA with the same effect, which is called PMMA and is a very dangerous drug. It is something about which people need to be educated.

Part of the problem is that the control and supply of drugs is now in the hands of ruthless criminal organisations which do not give a damn about what they are selling, who they are selling it to and the consequences of that. These are my thoughts from what I see happening on the ground. Criminalisation has failed miserably. I agree with Senator Bacik on that. It has not reduced the demand and therefore, in economic parlance, it has not reduced the supply. From the IFSC to the more rural parishes, there are people taking drugs. Anyone living in the real world can see that. It has become tolerated and accepted in my generation and the younger generation. In a group of friends, it is often the case that some people will smoke the odd joint, others do cocaine, others do speed, some do pills, some do all those substances and some do not do any. Half the craic for young people when they start taking drugs is that they are illegal and there is a criminal risk attached to it. If that were changed, it would reduce the allure for many young people and those with an inquisitive mind. As has been said, we need investment in education programmes. We must give people the proper information about drugs.We need to explain openly, frankly and honestly the pros and cons of different drugs and their good and bad effects. Then we should allow people to make up their own minds, take whatever risk they want and put whatever they want to into their own bodies. It would be far better if the control, supply and sale of these substances were in the hands of trained medical professionals acting on the State’s behalf rather than in the hands of the 13-year-old young fellow I happened to meet outside a popular Dublin pub several weeks ago. He was completely, totally and utterly off his face, with huge wads of cash in his possession and a real fancy top-of-the-range mobile phone. He did not know where he was and was very frightened, looking for help.

The damage criminal organisations are doing to our society, as the Minister of State outlined, is very hard to qualify. My brother worked in a disadvantaged school in Moyross, County Limerick. In such an area, when a young fellow sees the economic benefit from the sale of drugs, that is how they get caught up in it. My brother remarked to me that nine of his past pupils were lost to gangland violence. That does not count the number of families affected. I would prefer the State to control this business rather than the Dundons, the McCarthys, paramilitaries or other criminal mafia gangs that operate in this country. The fact this now comes under the Department of Health rather than the Department of Justice and Equality is certainly a step in the right direction.

With regard to what Senator Byrne said about cannabis users, the problem is-----