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'No desire' in Government to decriminalise drugs in Ireland - Feighan

The Government has been accused of continuing a failed “war on drugs”.
Paul O'Donoghue
Paul O'Donoghue

16.05 19 Jan 2022


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'No desire' in Government to d...

'No desire' in Government to decriminalise drugs in Ireland - Feighan

Paul O'Donoghue
Paul O'Donoghue

16.05 19 Jan 2022


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A minister says there is “no desire” in Government to decriminalise drugs.

Narcotics have been decriminalised in countries such as Portugal, meaning those caught with small amounts of narcotics for personal use aren’t prosecuted.

This has led to significant drops in overdoses and drug-related crime.

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Campaigners have called for a similar strategy in Ireland, saying it would be a change in the interest of public health.

However, junior health minister Frank Feighan says there are no plans to follow that approach in Ireland.

He said: "At the moment, there is no, I suppose, desire at Government-level to decriminalise or legalise drugs - cannabis as well.

"Cannabis is a drug, and it's a dangerous drug - the same as tobacco and alcohol. It needs to be regulated to a certain extent."

He told the Oireachtas Health Committee narcotics cannot be decriminalised in Ireland due to Ireland’s legal system - saying Portugal's approach is "not compatible" with the system here.

However, that claim has been disputed by experts.

 

Meanwhile, the Government has been accused of continuing a failed “war on drugs”.

Independent senator Lynn Ruane says Minister Feighan's comments show the Government is still pursuing a failed strategy.

He said: "The war on drugs costs lives - it's discriminatory, it's moralistic, it's a breach of civil rights, and it criminalises poverty.

"If you want to focus on drug use, you need to forget the type of drug that's being used, and you need to look at poverty and marginalisation."

Additional reporting by Stephen McNeice

Main image: File photo. Picture by: Helen Sessions / Alamy Stock Photo

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