New drugs minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said Ireland needed to “think differently” about how it approached the problem — and people with an addiction should be dealt with by the health service, rather than the criminal justice system.
His appointment has been warmly welcomed by Citywide, an umbrella body of community drug projects, and Ana Liffey, a voluntary treatment agency.
The minister of state is currently at the Department of Justice with responsibility for equality, new communities, and culture and is a former principal of St Laurence O’Toole’s GNS in Dublin’s north inner city.
Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, the Labour deputy said he previously raised the issue of decriminalisation of drugs for personal use and added: “I have an interest in that area and have discussed it with Citywide before. I think we need to deal with people who have an addiction through the health system and not through the criminal justice system —that’s my instinct.
“We need to think differently about the way we’ve approached this issue in the past and certainly I would feel that a health issue, somebody suffering from an addiction, has to be treated as a patient first and foremost.”
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 24/04/15
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