Working Group to Consider Alternative Approaches to the Possession of Drugs for Personal Use Report to: - Minister for Health, Simon Harris T.D. and Minister for Justice and Equality, Charles Flanagan T.D. - Minister of State for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy, Catherine Byrne T.D. PREFACE .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR ....................................................................................................................................... 3 TERMS OF REFERENCE .............................................................................................................................................. 3 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND SUMMARY OF MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................ 5 RECOMMENDED POLICY OPTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 7 OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 8 2 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 BACKGROUND TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORKING GROUP ..................................................................... 10 2.2 TERMS OF REFERENCE ............................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 MEMBERSHIP .......................................................................................................................................... 15 2.4 WORK PROGRAMME ................................................................................................................................ 16 3 THE CURRENT LEGISLATIVE REGIME, RATIONALE AND EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS ............................ 17 3.1 THE IRISH LEGAL SYSTEM ........................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 THE MISUSE OF DRUGS ACTS 1977 – 2016 ................................................................................................. 18 3.3 GARDA SÍOCHÁNA ACT 2005 ..................................................................................................................... 22 3.4 THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE (SPENT CONVICTIONS AND CERTAIN DISCLOSURES) ACT ................................................... 23 3.5 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CURRENT APPROACH ................................................................................................. 24 3.6 UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THE CURRENT APPROACH ............................................................................. 25 4 ALTERNATIVES TO CONVICTION IN IRELAND ......................................................................................... 27 4.1 GENERAL ................................................................................................................................................ 27 4.2 PROBATION ACT 1907.............................................................................................................................. 28 4.3 DRUG TREATMENT COURT ......................................................................................................................... 28 4.4 JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAMME.............................................................................................................. 29 4.5 ADULT CAUTIONING SCHEME ..................................................................................................................... 30 5 DRUGS SITUATION IN IRELAND ............................................................................................................. 32 5.1 PREVALENCE DATA ................................................................................................................................... 32 5.2 DRUG TREATMENT DATA ........................................................................................................................... 33 5.3 PROFILE OF PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS ......................................................................................................... 34 5.4 NATIONAL DRUG-RELATED DEATHS INDEX (NDRDI) ...................................................................................... 34 5.5 DRUG MARKET ........................................................................................................................................ 35 5.6 DRUG-RELATED OFFENCES ......................................................................................................................... 36 5.7 PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON DRUGS ................................................................................................................ 38 5.8 TREATMENT SERVICES AVAILABLE ................................................................................................................ 39 6 EXAMINATION OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES ..................................................................................... 41 6.1 RESEARCH COMMISSIONED ........................................................................................................................ 41 6.2 APPROACHES AND EXPERIENCES IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS ................................................................................ 42 6.3 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES ......................................................................................... 44 6.4 RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE IRISH CONTEXT .................................................................................................. 46 7 CONSULTATIONS UNDERTAKEN BY THE WORKING GROUP ................................................................... 47 7.1 PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS ................................................................................................................ 47 1 7.2 PRESENTATIONS TO THE WORKING GROUP ................................................................................................... 50 7.3 PRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE PORTUGUESE APPROACH .............................................................................. 54 7.4 WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED ............................................................................................................... 57 8. POLICY APPROACHES CONSIDERED ....................................................................................................... 58 8.1 RATIONALE ............................................................................................................................................. 58 8.2 RANGE OF APPROACHES ............................................................................................................................ 58 8.3 POLICY OPTIONS CONSIDERED .................................................................................................................... 62 9 COSTINGS OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO PERSONAL DRUG POSSESSION ....................................... 69 9.1 OVERVIEW OF COSTINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CURRENT APPROACH ............................................................... 69 9.2 ANALYSIS OF COSTS OF CURRENT SYSTEM ..................................................................................................... 69 9.3 SCENARIO ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................. 71 10 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 75 10.1 POLICY OPTIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 75 10.2 OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 76 ADDENDA ...................................................................................................................................................... 79 ADDENDUM I ................................................................................................................................................. 80 ADDENDUM II ................................................................................................................................................ 81 ADDENDUM III ............................................................................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX I .................................................................................................................................................... 85 APPENDIX II ................................................................................................................................................... 86 APPENDIX III .................................................................................................................................................. 87 APPENDIX IV .................................................................................................................................................. 88 APPENDIX V ................................................................................................................................................... 89 APPENDIX VI .................................................................................................................................................