Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY of Ireland (PSI) has expressed concern that a citizens’ assembly (CA) on drug use has been pushed back until 2023.
The CA was expected to take place this year but has been delayed until next year, The Journalconfirmed on Monday.
The delay was widely criticised with Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who previously served as drugs minister, saying it would cost lives.
Ireland has one of the highest rates of drug-related overdose rates in Europe, with hundreds of people dying every year.
PSI president Dr Vincent McDarby has also expressed concern at the delay, saying the organisation “regrets the Government’s intention to delay the citizens’ assembly on drug use”.
“It is vital that the State response to drug use and abuse is improved, and to bring forward such proposals in that regard,” McDarby said.
Advertisement
He added that the PSI supports the proposed amendment from Senator Lynn Ruane calling for an end to the delay in the establishment of “such an important, and much needed, citizens’ assembly”.
The issue is due to the debated in the Seanad this afternoon.
Ruane’s amendment proposes that the CA on drug use should consider the following:
the international, European, national, regional and local research on drug use and drug policy
the threats presented by the continued criminalisation of drug use, and the opportunities presented in responding to drug use as a public health issue
the many contributing factors to drug abuse and addiction, their impacts, and the opportunities presented in addressing the causes of drug abuse and addiction
the perspectives of the general public, representative groups, advocacy groups, experts and policy makers on drug use, and its impact on Ireland
opportunities to promote greater public understanding of, and support for, a health led approach to drug abuse
the potential benefits of promoting a harm-reduction approach to drug policy, including through the provision of certain supports, including, inter alia, safe-injection and safe-consumption facilities, and medication-assisted treatments for drug addiction
opportunities to improve the number and diversity of wraparound supports available to individuals who use drugs, including, inter alia, detox and aftercare facilities, and other supports which can assist individuals in their recovery from drug addiction
opportunities to improve the State’s response to the challenge of drug use and abuse, how that response can best be resourced and implemented in a strategic and coordinated manner, and how progress can be measured
On Monday, Ruane told The Journal the delay in holding the CA means it will be virtually impossible for the current Government to address the issue and implement any recommendations within its term.
“It goes without saying that suggesting this work won’t even begin within the next calendar year is not only disappointing but a clear failure on behalf of the minister and department to negotiate a citizens’ assembly on a vital part of his brief,” the independent senator said.
“To break down the reality of this in terms of action, a delay until 2023, then the nine months or so of the assembly, then a chance for this Government to assess and implement any of the recommendations makes it almost impossible that this Government will address this issue in their time,” she added.
Meanwhile Ó Ríordáin told us: “This is beyond frustrating. People are dying, apparently their lives aren’t worth enough to act. If cattle were dying at the same rate as people are dying from drug overdoses, there would have been a citizens’ assembly on it yesterday.
“This delay shows the lack of urgency, the lack of care, the lack of compassion of the Government. If Dublin doesn’t have a directly elected mayor in five years, no one will die. This delay is costing lives. It is a disgusting disgrace.”
Related Reads
'If cattle were dying, not humans, there would be action': Citizens' assembly on drugs delayed
Other assemblies
In a statement on Monday, Drugs Minister Frank Feighan said: “I look forward to the citizens’ assembly taking place in 2023, once the other assemblies are completed.
“I am very positive about the potential contribution of the citizens assembly to the Government’s health-led approach to drugs.
“I would like to see an international component to the citizens assembly, so that we can share good practice from the British Ireland Council work sector on drugs (which I chair) and the EU drugs strategy and action plan, which Ireland strongly supports.”
Earlier this month Cabinet signed off on two other citizens’ assemblies that are expected to take place this year, focusing on the State’s response to biodiversity and the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures which best suit Dublin.
These two assemblies will run concurrently and host their inaugural meetings in April.
The CA on drugs is expected to run concurrently with an assembly on the future of education next year.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
6 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
The whole DEI thing yesterday was disgusting. You could have someone worstin charge in an emergency. To stand there and blame DEI with no investigation work done is just terrible.
Showed zero compassion or empathy towards the families as well.
Probably doesn’t help that he and musk want to gut the FAA so Musk can skip a few safety checks.
@Joshua Walsh: Trump is a poor excuse for a human being, anyone that stands by him after that disgrace yesterday needs to give their head a wobble and reset their moral compass.
@Joshua Walsh: Want to? He’s already done it on day two. Also, what if someone from a group that would fall under DEI is the most competent for a role on merit, they can never be taken seriously under Trump.
@Joshua Walsh: I wouldn’t be surprised if the people in the black hawk were fresh recruits being rushed into training because Trump wants black hawks to patrol the Mexico and Canadian borders 24/7.
Then it would at least make sense to blame DEI in order to deflect responsibility from his own policies. Otherwise he’s using a tragedy just to push a false narrative and further his political ideology which is completely morally bankrupt.
@Joshua Walsh: yes, Trump is a gas man right enough. He’s trying to lay the blame at Obama and Biden’s door yet he forgets that he was president between both their terms and did eff all about it. He won the election handsomely yet he’s still obsessed with revenge against Biden for perceived slights against him.
@Joshua Walsh: The day after Trump’s inauguration he not only fired the members of the aviation security advisory committee, created in 1989 after the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103 that exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland, but also eliminated the committee entirely. It had recently proposed new regulations for airline safety.
Donald Trumps comments on people with an intellectual disability/ Mental health issues were completely inappropriate at this time and an embarrassment to the American people
JANUARY 10 – Trump fires the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, the department in charge of flight safety; JANUARY 21 – Trump freezes hiring for Air Trafic Controllers; JANUARY 22- Trump disbands the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee; JANUARY 28 – Trump sends out a buyout/ retirement demand to existing employees, removing experienced safety staff; JANUARY 29 – First American mid-air collision in 16 years.
This is the first of many tragedies to come caused by Trump and Elon. Elon essentially fired the head of the FAA 10 days ago: Do you think you can eviscerate vast swathes of the government without consequence?
What is even more chilling is that they know that their actions will cause many, many deaths: It’s all part of the plan. And if anyone complains they can just blame DEI, the mentally disabled, the dems, deep state etc. and their idiotic followers – plenty of examples above – will eat it up, thinking they are in on the conspiracy. I wonder will they think the same when the jackboot is on their head?
@Rian O’Callaghan: Just like the pandemic response group needed to be eradicated in 2018 before he made a bollox of covid. Or how he fired thousands of USDA and FDA inspectors in his first term and relaxed food safety measures which led to things like Boars Head listeria outbreak that killed 10 people. He continues the pattern now with this FAA craic and god knows how many other federal agencies he just ended for no reason other than his own ego.
Whoever the person is that is not Setanta replying here, I have you muted, but please continue screaming into the void. I’m sure your sock puppet brethren will be along soon to voice their support, offer their priceless thumbs ups and sop at the teat of your idiocy
Meanwhile, pentagon budget for 2024 provided $824.3 billion, an increase of $26.8 billion above fiscal year 2023.
But not enough money for air traffic controllers.
Slow clap
@Temp Stuff: The wording of the heli coming into the path of the plane, and that the jet smashed into the heli, is strange to me.
The video of it shows the heli heading directly for the plane from it’s right, without any deviation.
@Harry Paisley: well tell us there Harry. Give us one paragraph on why is a DEI issue, instead of what you usually do and just go against the grain, without any fact or argument. Go on Harry, please give us your input? I would bet you never even heard of the DEI framework before. Toxic.
@Brian Hunt: No one is, least of all the buffoon whose responsibility was to express compassion for those killed, solidarity with the bereaved and support for the investigators, aircraft control personnel, regency responders, etc. You know, the buffoon who concept of doing the job of president adequately boils down to nothing more than winning the election. As you are completely out of your depth, I thought you needed the obvious pointed out to you.
@Harry Paisley: Nah, that’d be Trump trying to provide explanations for his frequent mentions of Hannibal Lecter, garbled words, incomplete thoughts, conflating the names of prominent figures, and his penchant for rambling because he’s hyper-aware that people have noted that he’s making even less sense than he used to. What we’ve seen is a reflection of someone who’s very troubled and very desperate.
Disgusting, the way the leftist MSM are playing political football with this awful tragedy, I know the Left are unhinged, but it’s truly vile behaviour
@Joshua Walsh: trump is the perfect person to lead the US nation during a time of tragedy. His grace, his empathy, his wit are all unparalleled. MSM are just twisting his words, will someone please think of poor trump! So unfair!
@Jon Balfour: Nothing ‘vile’ about Trump using at tragedy to launch a rant at his predecessors then and displaying no empathy to the families? About blaming the victims before any investigation has taken place? I saw plenty of people that said they voted trump online condemning his carry on too, gave me hope that at least some of them might hold power to account.
@James.s.: That may be true, and there seems some evidence that Boeings recent problems are rooted in DEI also. But this was not the time for Trump to bring it up; immediately after a tragedy and before the investigation was complete.
@Fran Ken: Boeing’s problems are because they started letting accountants and management consultants control the production of aircraft instead of actual aeronautical engineers. There isn’t a shred of evidence that the DEI Boogeyman is to blame for Boeing, or for DC.
This was pilot error by the helicopter pilot. Nothing more. The CRJ was on an ils approach. The helicopter pilot said he had the aircraft in sight and was told by atc to go around behind them. For some strange reason he didn’t do as instructed and fly straight into them. ATC did their job and the CRJ was where it was supposed to be.
@Donal Martin: Incorrect. Poor communication from the ATC. He didn’t specify which direction the CRJ was approaching from. There was another CRJ departing National at the same time and they now believe the helicopter crew was looking at that. Also, the ATC should have realized that the helicopter was above it’s allowed ceiling of 200 ft in that flight corridor and should have alerted them of that error.
Omg, I thought my reality had been permanently rescinded. My only grasp of existence is commentating on the Journal. My obsessive checking of the absence of likes is my anchor to my identity. Panic attack avoided.
I’ll be with you soon, Miss Faithfull. Not yet. I’m still attached to the Journal’s umbilical cord. You are an icon. Let me know if it’s completely mental over there. If it’s acutely surreal, I’ll uncancel direct debit with the Beacon. Yes, I’m delaying the inevitable. I’m infantile.
@Pól Pot: you alright there, chief ? I’m an occasional commentator on Journal, but it looks like you have lost the plot with those rambling comments..
What are you on about??
@Bomber: It ain’t blinding me, correct. I make perfect sense. You, Bomber, are unable to decipher relatively simple philosophy. That’s why you your read the morning propaganda here. Trolling? Just bored. Give us a leg up in your field. An internship. I’ll fetch your jambons for you. I learn fast. Brown sauce?
@Pól Pot: Poor aul Setanta wouldn’t recognize a good time if it kicked him unconscious, same as the majority of regular posters on this kip. I know you’re gonna have a good day, Pol! Keep it lit, don’t join Marianne just yet ; )
No mention of a black box from the helicopter. Do military aircraft have black boxes? I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t as if, for instance, one was downed by enemy forces then the black box might disclose useful information.
The helicopter was on a “training mission “. Pure stupidity to have military training at a busy airport. But all military stuff is stupid. The military cover up will be interesting to listen to. More spinning than a nest of spiders!
@Jack Hayes: as far as I read the article they’ve recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the plane, but are still searching for the equivalent ones of the helicopter
@Padraig O’Brien: They’ve been doing this safely for many years. The ATC was doing two jobs, the airline traffic and the helicopter traffic at the same time. Normally there’s two working there, one for planes and one for the choppers, but a supervisor released one and left one to do both jobs.
The one ATC screwed up, with poor communication and not recognizing that the chopper was above the allowed ceiling of 200 ft. in that corridor and alerting it. Obviously the helicopter pilot was also at fault for flying above that limit.
Disgusting individuals here still defending their orange master. I appreciate most are just brain dead trls but some seem to actually believe the insane things they say.
The Federal Aviation Administration is fighting a class-action lawsuit alleging it denied 1,000 would-be air traffic controllers jobs because of diversity hiring targets — as it was revealed that staffing levels were “not normal” at the time of this week’s deadly midair collision.
Complaints about the FAA’s hiring policies resurfaced after the American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, killing 67 people in the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter-century.
The crux of the lawsuit is that the FAA, under the Obama administration, dropped a skill-based system for hiring controllers and replaced it with a “biographical assessment” in an alleged bid to boost the number of minority job applicants.
@Setanta O’Toole. It wasn’t such an issue then. Biden pushed DEI for four years and eliminated meritocracy for all government jobs. Next time you’re in a plane you might wonder if the pilot and the air traffic controller were hired for their competence, or for their skin colour or gender.
'Tetchy' Taoiseach 'acting like a child' as Dáil erupts over Michael Lowry and 'Bik' McFarlane
3 hrs ago
16.8k
Rosslare
Man arrested over woman’s death on ferry headed for Rosslare released without charge
37 mins ago
8.2k
Rosslare
Ferry remains docked in Rosslare after woman dies in incident on sailing from Wales
Updated
4 hrs ago
134k
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 152 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 104 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 136 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 106 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 78 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 77 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 37 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 33 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 127 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 60 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 75 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 82 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 38 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 43 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 25 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 86 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 96 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 68 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 50 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 84 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 64 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say