A special Oireachtas committee on drug use will face significant difficulties reporting before a possible autumn general election, its incoming chair has said.
Independent TD Michael McNamara, who has been nominated to chair the committee, told The Irish Times that the time frame for reporting to the Dáil was a “big worry”.
Amid sustained speculation over an autumn general election, Mr McNamara said: “Unless there’s a lot of work done very quickly, such that a report is prepared, it could be work done in vain as I’d be surprised if there is a Dáil to report to in November.”
He said that he hoped to convene the committee swiftly and would consider holding meetings of the committee on non-sitting days, including in the upcoming Easter break, in order to speed the process up.
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“I want to make sure committee members aren’t wasting their time so the best thing to do is to start very quickly,” he said.
The Clare TD, who has been nominated by the Independent Group – a technical group of independent deputies whose turn it is under Dáil rules to nominate a committee chair – also indicated that he wanted to hold public sessions with a wide variety of witnesses, even though the issue of drug use and decriminalisation has recently been the subject of a citizens’ assembly.
“I don’t think you can just take the citizens assembly recommendations as marching orders and go – which isn’t to say considerable weight shouldn’t be given to it,” he said.
The citizens assembly recommended that the State should respond to drug use and misuse primarily as a public health issue rather than as a criminal justice issue. This would mean that possession of controlled drugs would remain illegal, but people found in possession for personal use would first be offered opportunities to engage voluntarily with health-led services. This could, in turn, remove the possibility of criminal conviction.
This recommendation was made despite reservations expressed by the Garda and medical experts.
“I would expect that members are going to want to ask questions about the consequences, to be very clear in their minds, and the difference between decriminalisation and legalisation,” Mr McNamara said on Wednesday.
He said it would be “difficult to see” how legislation could be passed by the current Oireachtas. The terms of reference for the committee say it must report within seven months following its first public meeting. Mr McNamara will be writing to the Ceann Comhairle and the parties and technical groups in the Dáil asking them to nominate members of the committee next week.
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