Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are talking about decriminalisation of the person, not of the drug. We must take the person out of the criminal justice system and deal with addiction in the way it should be dealt with. It is not about the substances it is about the issues and connection. I hope my words have gone some way towards convincing people of what they should do in this regard and in terms of this debate. I thank those who have educated me along this road including people from CityWide and Ana Liffey. The USI also supports this initiative, as does Fr. Peter McVerry, who told me at a public meeting I had in my constituency recently that he was in court with a young man last year who was charged with possession of cannabis worth €2. What a complete and utter waste of time. Our criminal justice system should be targeted at the pushers not the takers of drugs.