Ireland should engage with a wider variety of drug users, including non-problematic or ‘casual’ drug users, an expert has told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Drugs Use.
Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan said that Ireland primarily engages with people currently in addiction to inform policy and asked a panel of international experts whether there should be a place for ‘casual’ users in those discussions.
Marie Nougier, Head of Research and Communications at the International Drug Policy Consortium, said that the Government should engage with ‘as many people who use drugs’ as possible.
She said that the State should work with ‘people who are casual users, people who have a criminal record and people who have problematic use. You need to have a variety of perspectives because there are so many different perspectives in drug use’.
She continued, ‘people use different substances, use them in different ways, in different settings. There are people who use at festivals, there are older people who use at home… the more perspectives you can get, the better your model’.
As of 4 July 2024, the Irish Government’s National Oversight Committee for drugs policy has no representation from people who use drugs non-problematically.
Crainn 