James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I listened carefully to the previous speaker and he has removed some of the reason for me to speak, but only temporarily. I was going to ask the Senators to withdraw the amendments given the fact that the vast majority of people in this Chamber are in agreement that this is a health issue and we do need to decriminalise it, but that in order to achieve that it requires a comprehensive piece of legislation and we cannot just do it as an amendment to the Bill. As I already outlined, there are all the other parts of it that the Portuguese have put in place that we do not have in place.

Notwithstanding the terrible tragedy of the deaths of which Senator Ó Ríordáin has spoken and the fact that behind each of those individuals lies a real person and a family bereaved and distressed and a community suffering loss, there must be a real organised approach to the issue. Accepting the amendment today will not bring any of those people back or prevent any more deaths from occurring unless it is supported by the ancillary issues I have already mentioned in terms of how to deal with people when they are caught in possession and how to help steer them away and keep them out of the criminal system. Some addicts will become drug pushers, not the big noises, but there is a chain and we must start somewhere within that chain. I concur with everyone in this Chamber who said this is a health problem and it should be treated as such, that people should be supported to get off drugs and they should not be criminalised for being an addict. I fully agree with that but we must do it in an organised fashion and in a way that will work and will deliver and will not create more problems for us.

The approach of the Minister of State is correct. I ask the Senators to consider withdrawing the amendments on Report Stage as well, given the fact that the Minister of State has undertaken to come back to us in the autumn for a debate which will result in comprehensive legislation to address the issue and to provide the infrastructure that is required. I again commend the Minister of State.