A report from The Correlation Network on Ireland’s decision-making process around drugs shows that Irish civil society representatives feel the current system is ‘not very transparent’ and has had ‘pre-selected’ figures in positions of influence.

‘No right to criticise government policy’

Civil society expressed concern that dissent is not well-tolerated within the current system directing drugs policy.

One representative said that a decision maker in a Government organisation told the board of their civil society group that they ‘have no right to criticise government policy’ as they were in receipt of State funds.

Another individual agreed that this happens, and that there is ‘an underlying understanding that if you are too critical, you could lose your funding… sometimes it is explicit, sometimes it is implicit’.

Government said to prefer organisations that ‘fall in line’

A representative from civil society said that the Government ‘prefers to speak to those organisations that fall in line with government policies’.

The main body for outside involvement with Ireland’s national drugs strategy is the National Oversight Committee chaired by Minister Colm Burke TD.

The Committee includes only three named Civil Society representatives, An Garda Síochana, three political appointees, and others largely representing State agencies.

The report by Correlation included a section which described the committee as a one-way flow where government ‘makes presentations’ leaving ‘not much room to discuss actions’.

Some ‘resisted’ broader involvement.

An Irish expert consulted for Correlation‘s report said they ‘tried to deepen this and include a broad range of organisations but this was resisted by some’.

A State representative said they felt that the use of ‘pre-selected’ people was a problem ‘in the past’ but was no longer one at the moment.

One State representative said that it is ‘very difficult to involve the community… they easily lose interest because they do not know the professional jargon’.

Some organisations were ‘very disrespectful’ to Minister

A decision maker within the government felt that some organisations were ‘very disrespectful to the Minister’ when they launched a petition calling for their resignation.

This decision maker said that those involved ‘entered a political field and breached the trust of the government’.

The Minister was reportedly put ‘in a difficult situation’.

One civil society representative said that you ‘have to be very tempered activists, very calm, you cannot be a bad-tempered activist’

State feel they are ‘approachable’

Representatives from the Government and State felt that they were ‘approachable’ to outside voices, but this was countered by a civil society representative who said ‘the general experience is that there are no replies from DM [Decision Makers]’.

One State representative remarked that ‘the narrative is controlled by a small group, but it is a very good narrative by the way’ while agreeing that the ‘current process is not transparent for many organisations’.

Furthermore, Correlation‘s focus group concluded that the representation of ‘women and women-specific issues’ in Irish drug policy was ‘very low’.

The full report can be read here: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/40481/1/2023_CSI-Case-study-report.pdf