From left: Minister for Health Simon Harris, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Promotion Catherine Byrne TD
This morning/afternoon
The launch of the National Drugs Strategy.
To wit:
Introduction of a pilot supervised injecting facility in Dublin’s city centre;
Establishment of a Working Group to examine alternative approaches to the possession for personal use of small quantities of illegal drugs;
Funding for a programme to promote community awareness of alcohol-related harm;
A new targeted youth services scheme for young people at risk of substance misuse in socially and economically disadvantaged communities;
Expansion of drug and alcohol addiction services, including residential services;
Recruitment of 4 Clinical Nurse Specialists and 2 Young Persons Counsellors to complement HSE multi-disciplinary teams for under 18s;
Recruitment of 7 additional drug-liaison midwives to support pregnant women with alcohol dependency;
Establishment of a Working Group to explore ways of improving progression options for people exiting treatment, prison or community employment schemes, with a view to developing a new programme of supported care and employment….
Hurrah!
Taoiseach has open mind ahead of report on drug possession (RTÉ)
National Drugs Strategy (Tabor)
That isnt Catherine Byrne in the photo.
Sorry Kid Creole Jensen, fixed now. Thank you.
those signs are a delightfully uniform white… almost asking to be Photoshopped.
Show me one good thing either of them has ever done etc
Catherine Byrne has been heavily involved in this since the beginning. The other 2? Well…they’re holding signs, Harry….
And the greatest prospect to Catherine Byrne for highlighting and pushing it.
She’s not in government though, it was those two in the picture who effected change.
This is why I always make the point that unless a politician actively tries to get into government they’re as much use as a back pocket in a vest.
Simon Harris is a child, putting him in charge of health given the current state of health seems unwise
Not really.
But it does help to lower expectations.
Drugs policy, could Leo instead of comparing socks with Trudeau, get him to arrange a visit to a
Canadian sponsored Grow House located at Smiths Falls Ontario that supplies the Canadian
market where the supply is regulated to registered users….never mind all these Working Groups
We have a National Herd of them at this stage.
they should ring-fence funding for the drugs court and expand it to inform any working group on decriminalisation.