Ending the war on drugs

An urgent and frank rethink of Ireland’s drug policy is required, writes Stephen Goulding. The latest legal calamity of the Irish government bore all the hallmarks of a Hollywood ‘imagine-if’ film, where characters are be treated to 24 hours of anarchy and civil liberty before having order restored, always for the better. Yet instead of revelling in the wake of what tabloids have branded ‘E-dependence day’,  we as a people should be spurred by the incompetence of our legislators, and finally face the proverbial elephant in the room— the elephant that has grown too systemic and cancerous to brush under the carpet any longer: Ireland’s ineffective drug policy.Much like a weed that continues to grow after having being cut back to size, drug policy faces a problem that can only be solved by addressing the root of the issue. Drug related deaths continue to rise, and addiction still has a visible presence in our society today. It has long been argued and proven that prohibitive measures against drugs do nothing to reduce the demand for drugs. Irish governments past and present are well aware of this as they continue to capitalize on addiction annually when the budget rolls around.The ‘old reliables’ of drink and tobacco are sure to see a hike in tax. Consistently legislators have walked a tightrope with regards to this issue, asking themselves how much can extra tax they can lob on before they begin to lose voters. And the one common factor that enabled them to do this was the addictive nature and demand of the products.Previous Irish governments – including the current coalition, are guilty of a rather selective double standard. Alcohol is indisputably the most systemic drug problem Irish society faces, so much so that it has become associated with our national identity. Yet people and politicians alike are quite content to shove a pint of Guinness into Barack Obama’s hand when he visits as it benefits our economy.Let us look to the bottom rung of the ladder, to cannabis. Is it prudent, or good governance to continually fund Garda dawn raids on sheds that produce cannabis plants with grossly over-estimated street-values? Is it just to incarcerate the cultivator at the tax-payer’s expense for growing, what is indisputably a plant? Granted, most cases of this nature result in a substantial fine for the guilty party; but only after Garda resources and hours of the court-service’s time have been invested.Moving up the ladder to harder drugs, the common factors still remain the same. People use drugs recreationally, but become addicted due to underlying social and personal issues. A certain futility lies in the prohibition of drugs – where there’s a will there’s a way. And if someone is addicted they will undoubtedly stop at nothing to find a way to satisfy their addiction.Would money and resources not be better invested by tackling the socioeconomic issues that cause drug addiction in the first place? Surely improvements could be made in providing more support for addicts rather than relying on independent organisations, who, due to lack of government funding, have become territorial and over-stretched? Is it not be better to educate a drug user from an early age, then imprison them after they’re already addicted?Prohibition is much like pissing against the wind: it can only end nastily; going with the wind is always going to be much, much easier. One group of people who have recognised this point are dealers: the sole benefactors of prohibition. As it stands, the drug market is like an unregulated stock exchange, where prices are set by dealers, and product quality and safety are all but irrelevant.All of the above point to the fact that we need to adopt a drug strategy whereby we decriminalise crimes such as possession and cultivation. Promote the education of drug awareness at all levels of society and crack down on the unregulated sale of toxic, poisonous products. We as a society, instead of laughing and jesting about the 30 or so hours where Meth, Ketamine and Ecstasy were legal, owe it to ourselves to begin the reformation of our drug laws. The future and welfare of the most vulnerable in our society depends on it.