Portuguese drugs strategy - Cheaper to treat addicts than jail them

THE launch yesterday of the latest National Drugs Strategy represents the first serious attempt by an Irish government to take illegal drug use away from the criminal justice system and treat it as a health issue. It is also the first time that alcohol has been included as part of the strategy.

That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that it took a last-minute flurry of negotiations before the Government was able to persuade community groups to come on board with the strategy.

Those groups secured late concessions regarding effective implementation structures and actions to tackle alcohol abuse, intimidation, and youth disadvantage.