The director of the Limerick-based Ana Liffey project for those experiencing problems with substance abuse says that smarter thinking is needed in deciding how taxpayer funds are used to tackle drug abuse.
Tony Duffin told The Limerick Post that a vast amount of resources are funnelled towards supply control interventions, despite scant evidence for their long term effectiveness in limiting access to, or use of, drugs.
He believes a more sensible approach would be to structure interventions to limit harm.
“The truth is that simply increasing law enforcement interventions has increasingly limited returns, and can have hidden harms to communities, such as increased levels of violence as people engage in ancillary criminal behaviour to recover losses from cash and drugs seized during crackdowns,” Mr Duffin explained.
From his experience working in the area, he is convinced there is a need for both ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ approaches.
Source: Alan Jacques, Limerick Post, 13/11/14
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
