It is “hypocritical” that certain political parties talk about the harms of drugs on local communities while advocating for their decriminalisation, a Dublin City Councillor has said.
The remarks were made during a Council discussion this week on the rise of “fast gas” – the phenomenon of teenagers inhaling nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. This is a known dangerous practice that has led to hospitalisations and deaths.
Many Councillors condemned the use of the drug during the meeting, talking at length about the harm it causes.
FAST GAS A “DIRECT THREAT” TO COMMUNITIES, SAYS PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT COUNCILLOR
“It’s not just a direct threat to the people who consume this gas, it’s also the threat to people around those who consume it,” said People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy.
“In Finglas not too long ago, there was a woman attacked viciously by two young men who were high on this gas in the middle of Finglas Village, not late at night, quite early in the evening in fact. So I think the detrimental impacts are very clear”.
He also praised the works of local Drugs and Alcohol Task Forces who tried to tackle the drugs issue “in a way that isn’t judgemental”.
Meanwhile, Green Party Councillor Janet Horner said it was necessary to take a “health-based approach”.
GREEN PARTY REP: MUST AVOID “CONDEMNATION” AND “MARGINALISATION” OF DRUG USERS
“When we know that young people are abusing and using substances that are causing them harm, it is not to take an approach that is about condemnation, further marginalisation or further alienation of those young people that are using those substances,” she said.
“It is about understanding how we can support and protect people and ensure that we bring the issues of misuse of substances under a health-based approach.”
Other Councillors, such as Cat O’Driscoll of the Social Democrats, said it was important to “educate people on the dangers of leaving the canisters around but also on the safe disposal of them.”
PARTIES’ DRUG CONDEMNATIONS DUBBED “HYPOCRITICAL”
Meanwhile, Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn said that many political parties were hypocritical for condemning the effects of drugs on communities, while advocating for various forms of drug decriminalisation.
“It’s hypocritical that certain political parties in this room talk about drugs, when they want to decriminalise situations, without having the proper resources in place to deal with the addictions that we have within our communities – particularly with young people,” Fynn said.
“I WATCH CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL EVERY MORNING IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD WHO ARE OUT OF THEIR MINDS”
The Councillor also described the impact of drug use on children in his own neighbourhood.
“I watch children go to school every morning in my neighbourhood who are out of their minds on smoke [and drugs],” he said.
“We’re not really addressing these particular issues…not unlike our talk about autism, we are again abandoning our children, we’re abandoning our young in our working class districts. We don’t really care.” the Councillor said.
He said that the State has “failed entirely” to address the impact of drugs on working-class communities.
“You know again we have failed entirely here,” Cllr. Flynn said.
“This goes back over 40-odd years when drugs were introduced into the communities, particularly working class communities.”
“YOU CAN GET A VAPE FULL OF DRUGS”
The South East Inner City Councillor expressed concern that the needs of young people were being ignored by the current approach to drug policy.
“Let’s remember the headshops and the damage they did before they were closed down,” he said.
“Let’s remember vapes – you know you can go in there, you can get a vape full of drugs basically, you can buy it down in a shop. We have completely abandoned our young people and what they need is actually rehab and detox, but we’re not giving them that – what we’re giving them is injection rooms down on Merchants Quay.”
DRUG DEBATE CONTINUES
Notably, several political parties in Ireland have advocated for various forms of decriminalisation of certain substances for personal use in recent years. These include People Before Profit, Labour, Social Democrats, and the Green Party.
In its 2024 manifesto, Fianna Fáil pledged to “decriminalise drug possession for personal use,” though they later clarified that this primarily referred to cannabis.
The comments come amid ongoing debates regarding the future of Irish drug laws and the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use.
The assembly previously suggested that the state should move towards a “health-led” model, which includes the potential decriminalisation of certain substances for personal use.
Merchants Quay Ireland currently operates various services for addicts, including a pilot medically supervised injecting facility in Dublin.
Working-class communities in Dublin have seen various grassroots movements over several decades aimed at tackling the sale and distribution of illegal drugs in residential areas.
The most recent figures released by the Health Research Board (HRB) National Drugs Library reveal that Ireland recorded 343 fatalities attributed to drug poisoning, or overdoses, during 2022.