Rehab boss urges decriminalisation of all illegal drugs

rubadub

Rehab boss urges decriminalisation of all illegal drugs
December 23, 2005 - irishexaminer.com

THE head of the country’s biggest drug centre is calling for the decriminalisation of the use of all drugs - including heroin.

The director of the Merchant’s Quay Project, Tony Geoghegan, said that labelling addicts as criminals reduces their chances of rehabilitation and introduces them to crime circles.

He said he did not want to see drugs legalised, but believed their misuse should no longer be dealt with under the criminal justice system. He said it should be treated as a health and social problem instead.

Mr Geoghegan believes laws governing the use of all drugs here should be based on the British model of the decriminalisation of cannabis, which makes possession of the drug legal, but not production or supply.

His comments come after research published this week shows the illegal drugs industry is worth €10 million a week. The report from the Health Research Board found cannabis to be the most common drug, with 370m worth coming into the country in 2003. Mr Geoghegan said the findings present the Government with a fresh challenge to decriminalise the drug. “A huge amount of cannabis use is recreational and experimental. There is no evidence to suggest that its users go on to be habitual users of other drugs,” he said.

Last year criminal proceedings were brought against just over 4,000 people for possession of cannabis, while 115 people were prosecuted for growing cannabis plants. A garda spokesperson said cannabis is treated the same way as any other “controlled” substance: “We don’t make any differentiation between them.”

Mr Geoghegan, who helps hundreds of heroin users in the capital, said: “I think resources used for prosecuting cannabis users could be more effectively targeted.”

According to the Prison Service, 278 people served prison sentences for drug offences in 2004 and 150 of these served sentences of less than a year.

Ninety-six of these prisoners were prescribed methadone in prison.

Mr Geoghegan believes imprisoning drug users leads to a vicious circle.

“Sending people to prison for12 months does not address the problem of why they were using drugs in the first place,” he said.

Sleepy

It's a pity Mr Geoghegan isn't minister for health, eh?

Then again, he's probably far too sensible for such a position.

Sangre

Don't smoke cannabis but I just can't see why it isn't de-criminalised.
I'm pretty sure it will be when my generation (20/21) is in power at the latest.

Moriarty

Can someone explain to me the advantages of decriminilsation as opposed to legalisation?

To me, it would seem to make more sense to completely legalise it, and then have proper control over who makes it and what goes into it.. aswell as being able to tax it. No?

humbert

If it were to be decriminalised addicts would be treated first as addicts and not first as criminals as it is now, allowing them to receive treatment and re-enter society with greater ease. If it were to be legalised it could be marketed and sold as alcohol is now, just as unscrupulously targeting vulnerable demographics, and I think heroin and cocaine are far too powerful drugs to unleash on a society that is still struggling to handle alcohol responsibly.

rubadub

Moriarty wrote:

Can someone explain to me the advantages of decriminilsation as opposed to legalisation?

it also would stop drug tourism since there would not be coffee shops, or drugs on sale in "drug off-licences". The politicians who bring it in would not be seen as renegades by other countries. The country would no become a wholesale drug exporter to other countries and not upset international relations too much.

But I think relegalisation of drugs has FAR more advantages. I think decriminalisation will happen before relegalisation and I would welcome it, I would simply grow my own.

Zombrex

Moriarty wrote:

Can someone explain to me the advantages of decriminilsation as opposed to legalisation?

The idea is that the substances are still very harmful and should not be allowed to be sold to the public, but that if someone has a drug that person should not be treated like a criminal and punished through the legal system.

Basically you turn all your attention to the dealers and suppliers, and leave the users out of the issue. I would fully agree with this.

Moriarty wrote:

And then have proper control over who makes it and what goes into it

I am not quite sure what you think that would be able to do. I mean, what controls do you put in place to make sure something like heroin or cocaine is "safe" for consumption by humans?

You seem to think that the government controls everything on a one to one basis. It doesn't work like that. The government set safety rules and guidelines as to what can be sold to the public. The companies can sell anything they like so long as it fits with in these health and safety rules

Once hard drugs fall into the realm of legal substances it would be quite difficult to control them through the normal safety channels because they don't fall into the normal safety channels. Cocaine would fail every European and USA "fit for sale" safe guard there is.

So you would have to change the health and safety laws to allow the sale of substances like cocaine and heroin. That in itself would produce massive problems as companies would now be able to bring much more dangerous substances to market since the health and safety laws would have to be relaxed.

For example if heroin was allowed to be sold legally so could pretty much every other strong, dangerous pain killer. You will have a massive flood of heroin like sustances being produced and marketted to the public, since they all do pretty much the same thing (just like cigaretts are not all the same, but they are all allowed to be sold). And with the health and safety standards set so low to allow something like heroin to be sold freely, god knows what else would slip in with in the new guidelines.

It would opening a pandoras box. We would not appreacate the full knock on effects for 25 years

rubadub

Wicknight wrote:

I am not quite sure what you think that would be able to do. I mean, what controls do you put in place to make sure something like heroin or cocaine is "safe" for consumption by humans?

He never mentioned that they would be "safe" if controlled, some would not consider many drugs to be "safe" that are available OTC, like paracetomol, codeine, alcohol, nicotine. The thing is that there is control over their production, part of the reason prohibition was abolished in the states was all of the contaminants being added, or methanol being sold as drinking alcohol. Most substances taken in excess are not "safe", but having control over production surely makes them safer. I know people who wouldnt eat an ice cream cone from a van for safety reasons. Most heroin deaths are said to be due to contaminants rather than the actual drug.

Wicknight wrote:

Cocaine would fail every European and USA "fit for sale" safe guard there is.

As would many currently available drugs. It is the hypocrisy of the laws I despise, more than the laws themselves.

Wicknight wrote:

companies would now be able to bring much more dangerous substances to market since the health and safety laws would have to be relaxed.

Well at the moment they pick and choose what is legal or not, there seems to be no criteria set in stone, this is obvious when you see the drugs that are currently available and ones recently made illegal. They could continue to pick and choose in their hypocritical manner. I would not like to see cyanide available OTC!

Wicknight wrote:

It would opening a pandoras box. We would not appreacate the full knock on effects for 25 years

Maybe so, but pandoras box is already slightly open and will never be fully shut. In other countries with decriminalised or legalised drugs there has not been a huge degredation of society. Some people will always seek an altered state of conciousness, some have a higher drive than others like with sex or food or violence. I do see problems with legalisation though and would prefer to see the quality control come from people themselves, i.e. grow you own...

patzer117

One of the problems associated with legalisation is that the people who control the markets now, i.e. gangs, would become legitimate in some part of their services, thus making parts of criminal gangs very wealthy and very powerful even though they did it from illegal activity and continue to persist in illegal activity.

As for the benefits of legalising or decriminalising, i fear, and the facts show, (Netherlands and Britain (of hash) being the best examples) that decriminalisation and legalising them leads to a huge increase in consumption, which in ireland would no doubt result in a huge rise in anti-social behaviour.
Also it would be very difficult to allow boatloads of drugs coming from one country illegally to dock and then be charged by customs legally without the other country being suspicious - keeping the whole process underground.

The overall idea is that drugs would become safer, but i'd fear that drugs would become acceptable socially and overdoses/abuse would become more common. Alcohol in Ireland, despite its greatness, and i'm being very hypocritical here, is a major problem to employers and society, other drugs would compound problem and make it much much worse.

rubadub

patzer117 wrote:

One of the problems associated with legalisation is that the people who control the markets now, i.e. gangs, would become legitimate in some part of their services, thus making parts of criminal gangs very wealthy and very powerful even though they did it from illegal activity and continue to persist in illegal activity.

It would be just similar to smuggled tobacco, most people would buy from shops to ensure they are getting a quality controlled product.

patzer117 wrote:

i fear, and the facts show, (Netherlands and Britain (of hash) being the best examples) that decriminalisation and legalising them leads to a huge increase in consumption, which in ireland would no doubt result in a huge rise in anti-social behaviour.

Where are these facts? Holland are supposed to have a relatively low % of drug users compared to other european countries. I am not sure about the UK but when surveys are done about drug use many users would deny it unless the drug was decriminalised so stats are not accurate. This would lead me to believe the dutch % is far lower.

patzer117 wrote:

Alcohol in Ireland, despite its greatness, and i'm being very hypocritical here, is a major problem to employers and society, other drugs would compound problem and make it much much worse.

Why make it worse? do you think people will still go out and have the exact same 10 pints AND heroin, crack, speed.

I have likened that logic of legalisation of cannabis to that of the problem of obesity. It is like saying McDonalds should not be allowed to have new items on the menu even though the medical community would agree that while the new food is bad, it is healthier than the current menu. People will not go into Mc Donalds and eat the exact same amounts of the old food AND the new one.

It is like the bizarre logic that stronger cannabis is worse for you. You have to smoke less for the same effect therefore you have less damaging smoke in your body per unit hit. It is like saying whiskey is terrible since beer drinkers who drink 10 pints a night will go out and drink 10 pints of whiskey which is terrible for your health :rolleyes: