Citizens' Assembly on Drugs ends in disarray

The Citizens' Assembly on Drugs ended in disarray this weekend with some members claiming it wasn't clear what they were voting for and others complaining that they'd been presented with either incomplete or biased information, as per the videos below:

This member of the Citizens' Assembly said she and others were asked to vote on topics they were given incomplete or biased information on, to be met with another round of applause.

They were again ignored by the chair and Secretary.#CADrugsUse pic.twitter.com/MrUXvqRPfC

— Crainn (@r_crainn) October 22, 2023

Assembly members attempted to push back on the cannabis vote again today.

They asked Reid that the final recommendations to Government note that there was confusion, and that cannabis in fact should be treated differently.

Rounds of applause to this.#CADrugsUse pic.twitter.com/ezookTtGyg

— Crainn (@r_crainn) October 22, 2023

There was particular disquiet about the voting process, which saw the Ballot 2 motion to legalise all forms of cannabis in Ireland defeated by the narrowest of 38-39 margins.

Taking to social media after the vote, one CA member, Kerry Anne Lawless, said: "I was attempting to point out the hypocrisy of having a very detailed discussion of some drugs while ignoring huge variability potency of cannabis. I wanted to change the process."

Claiming that over 15 of her fellow members were "confused about the options", Kerry Anne Lawless had earlier tweeted: "I approached the Chair and asked for Ballot 2 to be re-run, as did others. There was no interest in even putting it to Assembly members for discussion. I don't think it will change anything, but I'll look into lodging a formal complaint about the process."

Summing up her feelings, she said: "Irrespective of the result, this is not deliberative democracy. The process was completely flawed."

Although portrayed in some circles as "effective decriminalisation", drugs will continue to fall within the remit of the criminal justice system, with no cooper-fastened guarantees that we won't see people fined or jailed for personal possession of even small amounts of illicit substances being recommended.

In his assessment, Citizens' Assembly Chair Paul Reid says: “The Assembly has stated loud and clear that the State needs to take a much more ambitious and progressive approach to dealing with drugs in Ireland. The Assembly recommendations call for significant change to how drugs issues are dealt with, including by the political system, by the criminal justice and health systems, and by the community and voluntary organisations providing supports across the country.

“There is no time to waste here," he continues. "There has been much talk in recent years about the Portuguese approach to drugs. The Citizens’ Assembly has now recommended an Irish version of the Portuguese model. The Assembly’s final report will be submitted to the Oireachtas on schedule, by the end of this year. The ball will then be firmly in the court of the elected politicians. We will await their response with anticipation.”

While Hot Press is disappointed by the Citizens' Assembly recommendations, it's worth noting that two TDs who've advocated for drug reform, People Before Profit's Gino Kenny and Neasa Hourigan from the Greens, have given them a warmer welcome.

"The Citizens' Assembly on Drugs have resoundingly called for an end to criminalisation and a move toward a healthy lead approach to dealing with drug use," Kenny says. "The Government need to listen and implement recommendations."

Here's the full list of Citizens' Assembly recommendations which, at the beginning of the process, Leo Varadkar was at pains to stress are merely advisory and may be rejected in part or full by the government.

#CADrugsUse publishes full 36 recommendations.

You can read them here: https://t.co/hzFYdesvDb pic.twitter.com/wwoNZov1PR

— The Citizens' Assembly (@CitizAssembly) October 23, 2023

Here's more reaction to the weekends Citizens' Assembly happenings...

The Assembly has given the Oireachtas a set of vague recommendations which are good for grabbing headlines, but contain very little substance.

Read our full statement on the Citizens' Assembly below. #CADrugsUse pic.twitter.com/wbl7Dwbn6I

— Crainn (@r_crainn) October 22, 2023

#CADrugsUse failed to decriminalise. Voted for a ‘health led approach’ - sounds lovely but is what we have had since 2019 but not implemented. No bravery, no new approach, no solutions. Extremely disappointed. When I stood in front of this last week I was optimistic for more. pic.twitter.com/43l0zmMfO8

— aileen (@aileendub) October 21, 2023

Questions need to be asked about what happened at the citizens assembly on drugs today. There were vocal expressions of confusion in the room about the wording around cannabis. People didn't appear to know what exactly they were voting for. https://t.co/JktHugrvyg

— The Blindboy Podcast (@Rubberbandits) October 21, 2023

"Citizens’ Assembly urges ‘effective decriminalisation’ for personal drug use"

Moving the conversation forward on drug use was a major focus for the Green Party in the Programme for Gov. Seems there's lots of good suggestions coming from the assembly.
https://t.co/pO22M5OM3w

— Neasa Hourigan TD (@neasa_neasa) October 23, 2023

This is NOT #decrim. This IS coercion and suggests if you don't voluntarily engage with health services you could still face criminal sanctions. In other words if you don't have a problem & are caught in possession & won't say you have a problem you could be charged. https://t.co/nzt4n7etCb pic.twitter.com/1rJeTFUUyR

— Dr Órfhlaith Campbell (@drorfh) October 23, 2023