Mr. Eddie Mullins:

I am a bit conflicted about the decriminalisation argument. The people we work with every day are on the margins of society. Ms Kearney referenced people having to shoplift and engage in criminal behaviour to maintain - I do not like to use the word “support” - an addiction they are experiencing. Decriminalisation will not help these people, who will still have to engage in criminal behaviour to maintain their addiction. They may carry larger or smaller amounts for personal use because part of the transaction and part of their personal use is minding drugs, holding on to drugs, passing on drugs or distributing drugs to other people. Personally, I believe decriminalisation will benefit the middle class and people who use drugs at the weekend, who can afford to buy their drugs and spend €200, €300 or whatever it might be out of their disposable income, and they will continue to do so with impunity. However, people who are in very difficult situations will still engage in criminal behaviour.

That is my view and it is borne out by the years of experience I have of dealing with people. Some 70% of the people in prison today have an addiction issue. The vast majority of them are not big drug lords. They are people who have chronic addiction and have ended up in prison primarily because of their addiction and the criminal behaviour resulting from that addiction. While our objective might seem very progressive, I am not sure we will reach the outcome we hope to reach or that the people who are most affected and most marginalised by drugs will see any change in their lives.