A confidential report on Ireland’s drugs strategy has recommended a “shift” away from criminalising people for possession of drugs for personal use.
The report, written by senior foreign experts, suggested making simple drug possession subject to a Garda caution rather than criminal prosecution.
The panel produced a confidential report, which has been obtained by the Irish Examiner, after conducting a “rapid review” of the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016.
It interviewed more than 150 people, from government officials to service providers to community workers, and made study visits to projects in Dublin and Cork.
The panel comprised Paul Griffiths, scientific director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Professor John Strang, head of the National Addiction Centre at Kings College London and Nicola Singleton, scientific analyst at the EMCDDA.
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 03/05/16