Fianna Fáil needs to come clean on their drugs policy – Nolan

Mixed feelings among Fianna Fáil representatives around the party’s stance on drugs is causing confusion and misinformation, a Fine Gael General Election candidate has said.

Dr Tom Nolan, General Election candidate in Clare, said that he welcomed views expressed by Fianna Fáil candidate and fellow doctor Dr Martin Daly who when asked about his party’s proposal to decriminalise drug, expressing concern about the impact of drugs on young people’s mental health.

Dr Nolan said:

“I welcome Dr Daly’s honest reaction to his party’s policy, but this does reflect the confusion people have over Fianna Fáil’s position on this.

“What Fianna Fáil has said very clearly in their manifesto is that they would decriminalise drugs for personal use. They have not specified in their manifesto what drugs, how much is personal use, and how would that be applied.

“Fianna Fáil have not specified in their manifesto what type of drugs and what is personal use. But are we talking about heroin? Are we talking about crack cocaine? Are we talking about other kinds of drugs? We need to be clear about what we’re talking about here.

“There has been a Citizens Assembly, and I think any future government would have to assess the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly very carefully and take it from there.

“The Citizens Assembly did not suggest legalisation of cannabis. In fact, it’s the multifaceted approach, including drugs task forces for prevention and recovery that is required.

“We need to take on board the views of our Gardaí, who are very clear on their views on this and the possible implications for our cities and for our streets as well.

“Fianna Fáil have delivered mixed messages on this – they need to clarify just what drugs they would have decriminalised and not just on the airwaves – they need to amend their manifesto accordingly and without delay,” Dr Nolan concluded.