Oireachtas Committees
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-09
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Marie Sherlock (LAB), Dublin Central

A health referral and health diversion scheme was promised back in 2017, so we are almost ten years waiting for that. The reality is the Minister of State is fundamentally misunderstanding why we have recommended decriminalisation. It is not an end in itself. Depenalisation is to ensure that we breakdown the stigma and shame of addiction in this country. It is to ensure that people can access services and that we end the war on drugs that has not worked. The Minister of State can walk around her community or my community – it has not worked. If we are serious about a comprehensive health-led approach, and the citizens’ assembly was very clear on this, it means dissuasion, diversion and decriminalisation. It cannot be cherry-picking one or two out of the three. It is a fundamental disappointment that the Minister of State is just looking at some of the recommendations and not looking at them in the round. It is a whole-of-government approach. My appeal to both the Minister of State and the Minister is that they bring this to the Cabinet and the rest of the Ministers. The Taoiseach’s response that we have had a health scheme in place for the past number of years and that it is working does not cut the mustard. It is not working.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-09