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National Drugs Forum 2018: reports on workshops
 
From L to R: Dr Brigitte Manteuffel of the Georgia Health Policy Center; Minister Catherine Byrne TD; Dr Darrin Morrisey, chief executive of the Health Research Board; and Dr Karen Minyard, director of the Georgia Health Policy Center, at the National Drugs Forum
From L to R: Dr Brigitte Manteuffel of the Georgia Health Policy Center; Minister Catherine Byrne TD; Dr Darrin Morrisey, chief executive of the Health Research Board; and Dr Karen Minyard, director of the Georgia Health Policy Center, at the National Drugs Forum

One of the aims of the first National Drugs Forum was to provide an opportunity for community-based services to inform colleagues about their work, to exchange knowledge around what works, and to identify information gaps. The workshops were a recognition the dynamism and commitment of these services.

 

They were designed to enable shared learning and encourage discussion among practitioners, activists and administrators who face similar challenges. The forum appointed a rapporteur to each workshop and a brief report on each workshop was presented at the final plenary session. The rapporteurs’ final reports are presented below.

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Not criminals – decriminalisation in Ireland
by Lucy Dillon

Decriminalisation of limited amounts of drugs for personal use in Ireland would involve changing the current law that defines possession of drugs for personal use as a criminal offence.1 This does not mean that possession for personal use would be legal, as an administrative offence and civil sanctions may still be applied. Furthermore, it would not affect the law that makes the possession of drugs for sale or supply a criminal offence. Decriminalisation is currently being considered by a working group jointly led by the Department of Health and the Department of Justice and Equality. The group was established in December 2017 to deliver on a commitment in the national drugs strategy to ‘consider the approaches taken in other jurisdictions to the possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use with a view to making recommendations on policy options to the relevant Minister within 12 months’ (p. 58).2 The group has undertaken research and consultation to identify alternatives to the current system and to ensure that any alternatives would be appropriate in the Irish context.

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Minority communities and the press
by Lucy Dillon

On 24 October 2018, the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman held a seminar on ‘Minority Communities and the Press’. The aim of the event was ‘to hear about the critical role the print media plays in advancing the participation and representation of minority communities in society’.1 Presentations were made by those working in the areas of disability, homelessness, and drug use, as well members of the print media.

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‘The voice of the street’
by Lucy Dillon

Public consultation was carried out as part of the development of Ireland’s current national drug strategy, Reducing harm, supporting recovery.1 In a bid to ensure that the voice of those most affected by the new strategy would be heard, the Union for Improved Services, Communication and Education (UISCE) carried out a consultation with people who use drugs (PWUD). While central to any drug policy, the stigmatisation and criminalisation of drug use are just two of the reasons why the voices of PWUD tend not to be heard in the policy-making process. A paper has been published on the ‘peer-led street outreach approach’ undertaken by UISCE to fill this gap. The paper provides valuable insights on how to engage with PWUD to inform policy development.2

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