CityWide, a national network of drug organisations, said that it would be a “shame” if Irish society continued criminalising people for what was a health and social problem. Its coordinator Anna Quigley was responding to reports in yesterday’s Irish Examiner that the State working group examining drug possession laws was thought to be favouring a diversion scheme.
The proposal being mulled over would mean that the expert body would be stopping short of recommending decriminalisation of the possession of drugs for personal use. Under a diversion scheme, possession would remain a criminal offence, but people caught with amounts deemed to be for their personal use, would be sent by gardaí for a health intervention, rather than face criminal prosecution.
The working group has sought, and has been recently given, a three-month extension to finalise its recommendations.
“We are calling on the Government to make it clear it will not accept any recommendation from the Working Group that would continue to treat possession for personal use as a criminal offence, as this would be in contradiction with Government policy of treating drug use as a health issue and not a justice one,” said Ms Quigley.
“Such a recommendation would send a message to people who use drugs that as a society, despite having considered all the evidence of the damage caused by a policy of criminalisation, we still consider them to be criminals and will continue to treat them as criminals.”
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 29th January 2019
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
