This article is from page 8 of the 2014-07-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
A CLARE local election candidate, who came within a whisker of winning a seat to the local authority at last months election, hosted a rally in Ennis last week aimed at changing Irish drugs policy.
Fís Nua candidate, Niamh O’Brien secured 731 first preference votes in last months local election – just 20 short of then Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins (FG) – and came close to winning the final seat in the Killaloe constituency.
She hosted an information event in Ennis last Thursday and is also exploring the possibility of establishing a branch of Student for Sensible Drugs Policy (SSDP) in Clare.
“It is all about drugs – supporting and not punishing – and the whole issue of decriminalising drugs in Ireland. The idea is to educate people about drugs and to transfer the money – which at present is spent on the court system, the prison system and the Gardaí – over to things like rehab and the mental health system,” she said.
“We don’t treat alcoholics in the same way as we treat drug addicts. We offer a lot of support and help to alcoholics and we should be offering the same to drug addicts and people who trying to get off of drugs.
“We need to offer proper information about the real effects of drugs. These people [drug addicts] are desperate and they need help.”
Ms O’Brien, who listed a change in government policy towards illegal drugs on her campaign information, was also collecting signatures for the Rachel Keogh petition in Ennis. Rachel Keogh is a former Irish heroin addict who has started a campaign to change Irish drugs policy.
The event was part of a nationwide campaign by Student for Sensible Drugs Policy and Niamh is now ex- ploring the possibility of setting up a branch of SSDP in Clare.
“I have been in contact with the group and I was roped in to organise this event.
“I have it [legalising cannabis] on the back of my leaflets while running for election in the Killaloe area so I though this was a perfect opportunity to highlight this issue again,” she said.