Draft National Drug Strategy a backwards step, group says

The Government's draft National Drug Strategy has been described by the Network of Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces (LDATF) as a backwards step.

Chairpersons of the 14 task forces have said that the proposed strategy is as "at odds" with the recommendations of the 2024 Citizens' Assembly on Drugs.

The 2026-2029 draft National Drug Strategy was published by Minister Jennifer Murnane O'Connor last February.

The Citizens' Assembly noted the crucial role of the LDATF and community groups in responding to drugs-related policy challenges and in the implementation of the new strategy.

It also recommended that drugs policy should prioritise the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups and disadvantaged communities.

However, there is significant concern that the network of groups, which were established 30 years ago, are being pushed aside under the draft plan in favour of a more centralised approach.

In advance of further consultation, representatives are calling for "a clear commitment" that their role will be maintained and strengthened.

Chair of the Canal Communities LADTF Aoife Bairéad described Local Task Force groups as being "at the coal face" of drug response for decades, with intimate understanding and knowledge of the issues.

"To consign these groups to the margins fails to understand the key role these groups have played in informing policy, and at a very practical level, in supporting communities, families and individuals caught up in drug addiction," she said.

Assembly promised 'much needed pivot'
Recommendations from the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs promised "a much needed pivot" towards a health focused approach to addressing drug dependency and associated issues, according to Chair of Clondalkin LDATF, and CEO Merchant's Quay, Eddie Mullins.

"The Local Task Forces participated in the Assembly, and welcomed the recommendations at its conclusion, so if the Government is going to ignore some of its key recommendations they need to make clear as to why," he said.

The group said there has been a failure to take the "different contexts in which drug issues play out across Ireland".

"The strategy essentially attempts to respond to the drug challenges of Darndale in the same way as that of Clonakilty.

Levels of deprivation in Darndale far exceed anything in Clonakilty and the reality is that deprivation and social exclusion greatly exacerbate the impacts of drug misuse and that has to be reflected in policy," according to Ms Bairéad.

Strategy 'fundamentally flawed'
Local Drugs Task Forces were established following the publication of the Rabbitte report in 1996.

A Ministerial Task Force on Measures to Reduce the Demand for Drugs was chaired by the junior minister at the time, Pat Rabbitte, after whom the report was named.

The former Labour Party minister expressed surprise that recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly were not cornerstones of any revised strategy.

He said the link between deprivation and the misuse of drugs was "as striking now as it was 30 years ago" and that any new strategy that failed to take this into account "misunderstands the dynamic that exploits poorer communities".

Last month, national community networks Citywide, Family Addiction Recovery Ireland and UISCE described the strategy as "fundamentally flawed".