Funding to residential drug treatment should increase as alternative to custody, says assembly

The Government should increase funding to residential drug treatment facilities to provide an alternative to custodial sentences for convicted people dealing with problematic drug use, a Citizens’ Assembly has said.

The Citizens’ Assembly on drug use has concluded its work after several months, recommending an end to the State’s criminal justice approach to people found in possession of drugs for personal use.

In a final day of voting on Sunday, the group of citizens who had been considering the topic recommended drugs policy be treated as a greater political priority by the Government.

[ Citizens’ Assembly votes to end current approach to possession of drugs for personal use ]

The group voted by 78 to five to recommend an increase in funding for community-based residential drug treatment facilities, which should be considered as “an alternative to custodial sentences” for people with problematic drug use.

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The assembly voted to recommend that the State prioritise disrupting the supply of drugs by a large majority of 81 votes to two.

The group also overwhelmingly backed recommendations for priority to be given to harm-reduction in drugs policy, as well as to the State tackling drug-related intimidation.

Eighty-five of the 100 citizens involved in the assembly attended the final meeting of the group, approving 36 recommendations.

The assembly has been meeting since April to consider changes to drug policy, with a final report now to be prepared on its recommendations and sent to Government.

[ GPs warn against legalising cannabis ahead of Citizens’ Assembly vote, citing ‘profound adverse effects’ ]

The group recommended that a new national drugs strategy be published “as a matter of urgency”, and that the State takes “urgent” action to improve its response to the harms of drug use.

The assembly also backed a recommendation for increasing funding to State and voluntary addiction services.

During the meeting, one member of the assembly said there appeared to have “been some confusion” around the voting process on measures related to cannabis the previous day. Almost half of those present (36 members) had voted for legalisation and regulation of cannabis, with 23 opting for a comprehensive health-led strategy, and 10 for the status quo.

When all other options were eliminated, the citizens voted by 39 to 38 for a comprehensive health-led strategy, rather than legalisation of cannabis.

On Sunday, the assembly passed a motion for its final report to reflect “the tightness” of the vote the previous day on the topic.

Some 85 per cent of members opposed retaining the current criminal justice approach to personal drug possession, instead calling for a health-led approach to illegal drug use.

Previous Citizens’ Assemblies have issued recommendations on abortion policy, the biodiversity crisis and the introduction of a directly elected mayor for Dublin.

The assembly on drugs use included 200 hours of debate, hearing from 120 speakers and receiving nearly 800 submissions from a public consultation process.