DEPUTY MAYOR WELCOMES GAY BYRNE'S REMARKS ON DRUGS

DEPUTY MAYOR WELCOMES GAY BYRNE'S REMARKS ON DRUGS

STATEMENY BY CLLR AODHAN O RIORDAIN
Monday February 26th

Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin has welcomed the comments of the chairman of the Road Safety Authority Gay Byrne over the weekend about the legalisation of drugs. Mr Byrne told the RTÉ Radio 1 Conversations with Eamon Dunphy programme that he was coming round to the view that illegal drugs should be legalised because attempts to deal with the problem through law enforcement had "demonstrably failed".

Speaking today, Cllr O Riordain said ‘Drugs are a continuing cancer which have a devastating effect on communities throughout my electoral area of the North Inner City, throughout Dublin and indeed throughout the country. However it is becoming clear to me that we as a society need to start a new debate on the problem as we are clearly losing the war on drugs.’

The international president of the Europe Against Drugs Network (Euraid), Gráinne Kenny has called on Gay Byrne to resign but Cllr O Riordain has said that his comments are welcome ‘if it begins a realistic, open and honest debate about drug use and drug abuse in Ireland.’ ‘I work at the coalface in the North Inner City and I understand more than most the appalling effect that drugs have on families and communities. However for too long the drugs debate has stayed out of the political mainstream and that has to change. If Gay Byrne’s remarks result in a new conversation at the highest level on the drugs situation, then his comments are welcome.’ Cllr O Riordain concluded.