Citizens’ Assembly on drugs should take place next year, campaign group says

A campaign group has called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to use his influence to ensure a Citizens’ Assembly on drugs takes place next year, saying cocaine use had risen by more than 10,000 per cent in 25 years in the State.

The CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign cited data on increased drug use from the national drug treatment reporting system as it called for a policy rethink “based on the evidence of what actually works”.

Ahead of its online event on Thursday to be opened by Mr Martin, the group noted a commitment in the programme for Government to establish a Citizens’ Assembly on drug use and said the forum should be convened in 2022.

The group said the 225 per cent rise in the number of drug deaths in 25 years was in contrast to a 68 per cent reduction in the number of road deaths in the same period. The use of benzodiazepines had risen by 824 per cent in 25 years and cannabis use by 263 per cent, it added.

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The latest data showed 9,702 people in treatment for drug use, up from 4,858 in 1996, and the number of drug prosecutions had risen 484 per cent in the same period.

Community-based model

CityWide co-ordinator Anna Quigley said a Citizens' Assembly on drugs should herald a return to a radical community-based partnership model that worked previously but was dispensed with after responsibility for such issues transferred to the Department of Health in 2011.

“While the emphasis on a health-led approach is welcome, the implementation of the current National Drugs Strategy has moved away from the broader social inclusion approach which is crucial.”

She called on the Government to return to listening to community voices and to recognise the need to address the broader underlying issues of poverty and inequality.

“We know how to do this – for a number of years we had a model that worked and it delivered a significant number of vital community services that to this day are improving the lives of people who use drugs, their families and the wider community,” Ms Quigley said.

"Ireland is at risk of losing the independent voice of the community and the equality of partnership for community representatives that has been crucial to the achievements under the earlier national drugs strategies."