Results 701-720 of 1,054,855 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Josepha Madigan OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd) in 'Committee meetings'
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: I always find strange the juxtaposition between drugs and alcohol. Alcohol is a perfectly legal substance to buy, while drugs are completely illegal. I find that parallel a bit of a contradiction in terms of our policy.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: I want to drill down into the figures around the problematic use of drugs and those who are seeking treatment, although I am not sure the Department can give a breakdown of this. The figures are startling and they have increased by nearly 50% since 2017. Can the Department give a breakdown of the substances that people are seeking treatment for, in particular with regard to problematic...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: There is a definite trend since 2017 in the context of those presenting with an addiction to cocaine and the decline in heroin use.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: There appears to be roughly a 50% increase. Mr. Walsh spoke about prescribed drugs and polydrug use, could he identify a percentage out of that 50%?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: Would it represent a higher percentage of that 50%?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: Does the polydrug use involve prescribed drugs?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: I think "leakage" is the term used.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: I ask Mr. Walsh to send those figures on when he gets a chance. The Department is compiling the new national drugs strategy. Given the citizens' assembly's recommendations and the special committee on drug use, how effective will that strategy be in the context of the provision of amending legislation? The soundings thus far from Government are that it will not go near the misuse of...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: There is definitely a shift in public opinion, as reflected in the citizens' assembly and the special committee, to the effect that we need to do something very different from what we have been doing for the past four or five years.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: Nobody has ever said that. That needs to be debunked here and now. Nobody has ever said if we regulate a certain amount of drugs that the black market will suddenly disappear.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: We can see that by being very wary, successive governments have completely failed on this issue. They do not have the stomach to really challenge the issues of social deprivation. Social circumstances determine why people take drugs in the first place and it is a very complex issue. Continuing to criminalise people for personal drug use simply does not work. The Government needs to look...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: That is a progressive thing. It has taken forever to do it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: We all agree with that. We all agree that we need to put mechanisms in place to save people's lives.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: In the previous session, it was pointed out that Ireland has the highest rate of drug-related deaths.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: Well, contradict me then.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: We have the highest-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: Is that with decriminalisation?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: This is what I am concerned about. We need to go much further than that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: With regard to health diversion, is it possible that the existing legislation which underpins all of this can be amended? It is the elephant in the room. If we do not amend the Misuse of Drugs Act we will continue to have this merry-go-round of criminalising people for simple drug use.