Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign is holding a COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN MEETING

Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign is holding a COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN MEETING in the Gresham Hotel, O’Connell St. on Wednesday 9th April at 11a.m. which will be attended by spokespersons from all political parties.

The drugs crisis in Ireland’s most disadvantaged communities needs to be an election issue in the upcoming local and European elections, according to Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign. “Local authorities are signed up as key partners in implementing the National Drugs Strategy and the Councillors that will be elected on May 23rd must ensure that this role is carried out” says Anna Quigley of Citywide.  “Councils have responsibility for a range of issues that have a direct impact on the drugs crisis, including housing, estate management and joint policing committees. They are also taking over responsibility for the community development programme, which is a crucial part of addressing the drugs problem in our communities.”  

Citywide also points out that, through its membership of the EU, Ireland plays a part in shaping the future direction of international drugs policy that will be decided by the UN in 2016.  “The MEPs elected in May should be lending their voice to the call for a review of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ approach” according to Anna Quigley. “All the evidence points to the failure of the current approach and the need for an open and informed debate on decriminalisation and legalisation, based on evidence from the experience of other countries.”   

Three short videos will be launched at the meeting highlighting the issues that the politicians need to address

• “The Drugs Crisis – Then and Now”
• “Crime and Punishment”
• “Support and Future”

All the evidence confirms that our communities are now coping with an increasingly complex and chaotic drug problem that includes a mix of legal drugs, illegal drugs and alcohol. Heroin use is continuing to grow in communities outside of Dublin along with high levels of polydrug use. The last few years have seen the emergence of weed with a high concentrate of the psycho active substance THC, with an   impact particularly on younger people that has not been identified with cannabis use in previous generations. There has been an explosion of tablet use, painkillers, sedatives, tranquillisers, all of which are being sold on the streets. To add to this dangerous mix, alcohol is now recognised as a major element in the drugs “cocktail”. The risks attached to using and mixing drugs is reflected in the annual figures for drug related deaths – 597 people died in 2010 and 607 in 2011.

The current government has implemented cuts of 37% in the Drugs Initiative budget and cuts of over 45% to community and voluntary sector groups and it has never explained why these cuts are far greater than the average level of cuts to public spending. All politicians and candidates are being asked to outline their position on this.

Contact:

Anna Quigley anna@citywide.ie 087 2077080

Source: Citywide, 08/04/14