Michael D. Higgins put his presidential pen to supremely good use on May 16 when he signed the Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017 into law.
It’s now up to the Minister for Drugs, Catherine Byrne, to decide where the Dublin pilot scheme will be located and who will operate it.
Hot Press has long maintained that it has to be where the public injecting problem is most acute, which is the city-centre.
As for the key-holders, we’re big admirers of the Ana Liffey Drug Project, the progressive, campaigning harm reduction service, which has advised both Minister Byrne and her predecessor, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who was the man who gained cabinet approval for Ireland’s first supervised injecting facility. Since opening in 2007, Ana Liffey has consistently pushed forward the drugs debate, and gained the trust of individuals who are experiencing problem substance use with their common sense, non-judgmental approach.
If it proves to be as effective as the ones already operating in Sydney, Vancouver and Paris – and there’s absolutely no reason to think it won’t – the supervised injecting facility will save dozens, possibly hundreds of lives over the coming years.
It’s the first of many battles that need to be won if Ireland is finally to get a drug policy that’s fit for purpose.
The first priority has to be the introduction of medical cannabis for the likes of young Ava Twomey whose mum, Vera, was arrested last month at Dublin Airport when she tried to bring the THC-based medicine her daughter urgently needs into the country.
In the new Hot Press, we report on the calls for drug testing at Irish festivals, which would likely require another amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act.
All eyes are now on the new National Drugs Strategy, which is due next month and, according to well-placed sources, will float the idea of Ireland adopting the decriminalisation model that’s worked so successfully in Portugal.
Further fuel will be added to that debate by Senator Lynn Ruane’s imminent presentation to the Seanad of her Controlled Drugs & Harm Reduction Bill 2017.
As it has been since our very first issue in 1977, Hot Press is firmly in favour of decriminalisation and is delighted to be involved with a new sensible drug policy initiative, details of which will be unveiled soon.
All of this feeds into tomorrow’s publication of the Global Drug Survey 2017, which was this year completed by a record 150,000 people.
You’ll be able to read the Irish findings exclusively on hotpress.com with more major number
crunching in our June 8 issue.