Senator Ruane Launches Campaign for Repeal of Section 3 of Misuse of Drugs Act 1977

Senator Ruane Launches Campaign for Repeal of Section 3 of Misuse of Drugs Act 1977

The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use voted resoundingly to remove the legal and social stigma around drug use in Ireland. As Paul Reid, former Chairperson of the Assembly, stated in recent days, this was a vote for the decriminalisation of drug possession.

 

Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 criminalises people for the possession of drugs for personal use alone. This law represents an ongoing and significant source of damaging stigma for people who used drugs.

 

The first step towards achieving the recommendations of the Assembly is the repeal of Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Making this simple change to our laws also represents an essential next step towards the overarching recommendation of the Assembly: a comprehensive health-led approach to drug use.

 

The damage that criminalisation causes to individuals, families and communities is vast, as Assembly members heard so often during their meetings. The Assembly report reflects the evidence showing that stigmatising people who use drugs will increase the likelihood of further harm being done.

 

The Assembly’s recommendations around health services cannot be implemented effectively until we repeal Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Criminalisation, and the stigma it imposes, inhibits effective health interventions in cases of problematic drug use.

 

We also know that, despite claims that a health-led approach is being pursued in Ireland, thousands of people are searched, arrested, charged and convicted of the possession of drugs each year. Last year, over 6,000 people were criminally charged for simple drug possession. This figure is rising, despite this clogging up our justice system and wasting vital garda and court resources.

 

The process of repealing Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act must begin immediately, so that the new legal framework can develop alongside and align with other ongoing legal reforms.

 

Questions around safe access to certain drugs and responses sale and supply require more learning from other jurisdictions that are further ahead than we are. In the meantime, the Government must take the straightforward, simple step of repealing Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1997.

 

Senator Lynn Ruane, Neasa Hourigan TD, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD and a coalition of stakeholders met this morning to set out a clear path as to how to actualise the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly, aiming to cut through the noise on this issue – destigmatising drug use is as simple as it is essential.

 

Speaking at the event, Senator Ruane concluded: “We are at an important juncture in transforming how we treat people who use drugs. The special Oireachtas Committee, to be up and running by April this year, has a vital role in taking the work of the Assembly to tangible place. Their recommendations are clear, and so the Committee should be tasked with answering the questions about how we can bring them to life. We must ensure we do not continue to rehash the same debates and choose instead to make real policy change that is grounded in evidence and compassion.”