Hildegarde Naughton appointed as the new Minister for Drugs

As predicted last month by Hot Press, Frank Feighan has been replaced as Minister for Drugs by Hildegarde Naughton who has also been appointed as the Minister of State at the Department of An Taoiseach & Government Chief Whip.

There's much for her to immediately chew on with the Oireachtas Justice Committee this month recommending the legalisation of some drugs and decriminalising others. We also understand that the long overdue Citizen's Assembly on Drugs is likely to be announced in early January.

https://www.hotpress.com/health/oireachtas-justice-committee-recommends-legalising-some-drugs-and-decriminalising-others-22943582

The Fine Gael TD for Galway West since 2016, Naughton previously stated, "There are two issues in particular the citizen's assembly on drug use could consider. The first is how to better meet the diverse health needs of people who use drugs, while the second is how to prevent the harmful impact of drugs on children, families and communities."

She went on to talk about "alternative approaches to coercive sanctions."

Hopefully, she'll be more proactive than Frank Feighan who displayed little in the way of innovative thinking during his time as Minister for Drugs. He'll doubtless point to the ongoing planning wrangles, but there was no progression under his watch of the pilot Merchants Quay medically supervised injecting room or the provision of a mobile alternative.

Talking to Hot Press shortly after the then Minister's "terrible performance at the Health Committee", Senator Lynn Ruane said scathingly: “It’s evident from his terrible performance that Frank Feighan has no understanding of the National Drugs Strategy, its brief, the issues it reaches into and the far-reaching impact it has on neglected communities. This isn’t about personalising things – it’s about holding somebody accountable for showing absolutely no leadership in their position. You have unelected civil servants with their own agenda, and a Minister that doesn’t actually do much talking on the drugs issue. You have all these big questions – the drug task forces, the drugs strategy, detox beds, (opioid reversal drugs) Naloxone – being completely ignored.

“Then you have the National Oversight Committee for the National Drugs Strategy becoming as conservative as it’s possible to be. Three or four psychiatrists were taken on (by Minister Feighan), one of whom is constantly and very publicly calling to maintain criminal sanctions for people in relation to weed, and fear-mongering around weed and cannabis. There’s been a concerted effort to push out any sort of dissenting voices from those structures, which totally goes against what the public is saying needs to happen in relation to drugs.”

As usual, Hot Press will be doing its best to push the progressive drug policy debate with a major announcement of our own early in the New Year.

A huge honour to be appointed as Government Chief Whip today. A serious legislative schedule to fulfil while maintaining a strong voice for the West at Cabinet. @FineGael #Galway pic.twitter.com/OUXDkN74id

— Hildegarde Naughton (@1Hildegarde) December 17, 2022