“Prisons Should Be for Drug Dealers—Not Drug Addicts” - Senator Mary Fitzpatrick

“Prisons Should Be for Drug Dealers—Not Drug Addicts”

By Senator Mary Fitzpatrick

Walk the streets of Dublin, Limerick, Cork, or even Tuam or Athlone, and you’ll see it. Maybe it’s a young man hunched in a doorway, or a woman pacing on the corner. Behind every glance, every story, is the same grim reality: Ireland is in the middle of a drug crisis. And what we’ve been doing for decades is not working.

I’ve worked with North Inner-City communities for more than 20 years. I’ve seen the same cycle repeat: someone falls into drug use, maybe to cope with trauma, mental health struggles, or just being born into the wrong circumstances. There’s no support from family. No lifeline. They spiral. They lose their job, their home, their relationships. They end up on the streets. They commit crimes, not out of choice, but just to survive another day.

And then we throw them in prison.

It’s time to say what many already know: this isn’t justice. This isn’t working.

That’s why we need a health-led approach to drugs. And no, that’s not being soft. It’s being smart, it’s being humane, and it’s being honest about the world we actually live in.

Let’s clear something up straight away: decriminalisation is not legalisation.

Under a health-led approach, drugs remain illegal, but if someone is found with a small amount for personal use, they won’t be dragged through the courts and branded a criminal for life. Instead, they’ll be offered support, treatment, and a path back. The dealers? The gangs? The traffickers? They’ll still face the full force of the law—and rightly so.

Let’s be real. Nearly one in four adults in Ireland, almost 900,000 people, have used an illegal drug at some point in their lives. That’s not just a statistic. That’s someone you know. A sibling. A friend. A neighbour. A colleague. Maybe even you.

Are all those people criminals? Should they all be in jail?

Of course not. And our system couldn’t handle it even if we tried. So why are we still criminalising the unlucky ones, the ones who didn’t have the support, the resources, or the safe environment to walk away?

Because here’s the thing: many people who experiment with drugs don’t end up addicted. Some are lucky. They have support, they have stability, they have options. Others, those who don’t end up in addiction, and are criminalised for it. This system doesn’t just punish addiction, it punishes poverty, trauma, and bad luck.

Addiction drives crime. That’s a fact. But it’s not the addict who profits, it’s the dealer. The addict robs to feed a habit. The profits off that chaos. So, let’s stop equating drug users with drug dealers.

Prison should be for the ones making millions off misery, not the person who can’t get through the day without a fix. Drug gangs exploit vulnerable people, use children to move product, and destroy entire communities in the process. These are the people we must pursue with every tool of the state. Not the young man sleeping in a doorway with a bag of heroin in his pocket.

And here’s another truth: putting addicts in prison doesn’t work. It costs more. It clogs our courts. Our jails are already dangerously overcrowded. Approximately 70% of people who enter Irish prisons have an addiction or substance problem. People often come out worse than they went in. Many even start using drugs inside. It’s not just ineffective, it’s counterproductive.

Instead, a health-led model frees up space for the real criminals and puts resources where they actually make a difference: in prevention, detox beds, mental health services, addiction counselling, in harm reduction and recovery. It gives people a real chance at recovery, not just a record and a ruined life.

Look at Portugal: Proof It Works

In 2001, Portugal decriminalised personal drug use, and the sky didn’t fall. In fact, drug deaths dropped by 80%, HIV infections plummeted, and heroin addiction fell from 100,000 to 25,000. All while drug use did not increase. It actually stabilised or declined.

Why? Because Portugal didn’t just change the law. It changed the system. It created new referral pathways, expanded treatment centres, and focused on getting people off drugs, not just punishing them for using them.

Switzerland took things even further. With supervised injection sites and heroin-assisted treatment, they saw fewer overdoses, less street crime, and better health outcomes. People who were once labelled hopeless became functioning, contributing members of society again.

These countries didn’t go soft—they got smart. They didn’t excuse drug use—they dealt with it. And they’ve saved lives, reduced costs, and created safer communities as a result.

This isn’t some liberal fantasy. This is practical, proven, and necessary. If we keep criminalising the most vulnerable while letting the ones getting rich off their misery go untouched, we will never break the cycle.

Let’s be crystal clear:

This is not being soft on drugs. We are just sick of failing people who need help.

We must be tough where it matters, on the gangs. On the dealers. On the traffickers. But for the addict on the street? They don’t need a cell. They need a second chance.

Because prisons should be for drug dealers—not for drug addicts.

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