President Michael D Higgins said people are witnessing a “shift internationally” in the treatment of drug use, from a criminal matter to a public health issue.
President Michael D Higgins said people are witnessing a “shift internationally” in the treatment of drug use, from a criminal matter to a public health issue.
His comments, made at the 20th anniversary conference of the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, follows rapid developments in Irish politics on drug laws.
Last week, the Oireachtas Justice Committee recommended that the country adopt a model similar to Portugal’s, involving the effective decriminalisation of drug use and referral of users to counselling service.
Drugs strategy minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has consistently called for the decriminalisation of drug use and the establishment of facilities where drugs could be injected legally and under supervision.
President Higgins said the effectiveness of global drug policy will be discussed in April at the UN General Assembly Special Session in New York.
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, 13/11/15
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