The Joint Committee on Drugs Use has been established

Speaking about the Committee, the Cathaoirleach Deputy Gary Gannon said:

“The second Joint Committee on Drugs Use was established in May 2025. The Committee is currently assessing the information we have from the Citizens’ Assembly and the previous interim report by the first committee to create a work programme. At this stage, it is vital that we assess the information gathered by the previous committee’s engagement with stakeholders on areas such as health, housing and family, and to use that information moving forward to ensure no stone is left unturned. We have nine months from our first public meeting to ensure our final report is as comprehensive as possible therefore we must allocate time to each priority.

On a personal note, I am very honoured to chair this committee and I believe the work of the previous committee has left us in a strong position to respond to the recommendations made by the Citizens’ Assembly. The Committee looks forward to engaging with national and international stakeholders in the autumn and sharing our meetings with the public.”

The Joint Committee on Drugs Use will be informed by the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly and the Interim report published in October 2024.

The Joint Committee on Drugs Use has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

• In early 2023, the Oireachtas agreed to set up a Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use, and asked it to consider the legislative, policy and operational changes Ireland could make to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on individuals, families, communities and wider Irish society. The Assembly met on six occasions between April and October 2023, submitted its report to the Oireachtas in December 2023 and published its report in January 2024. The Assembly was made up of 100 people, including 99 members of the public and the independent Chairperson. The 99 members of the public were selected at random in accordance with most recent census data.
• The Joint Committee on Drugs Use is one of two special committees. A special committee is established for the sole purpose of considering a specific matter usually for a specified period after which it must report back to the House(s).
• Committees’ powers include the power to invite submissions, hold hearings with stakeholders including Ministers, and draft and publish reports. Committees are given these powers by one or both Houses of the Oireachtas when they are established. Committees remain subject to the Houses and cannot expand or increase their own powers or functions unless the Houses formally agree to do this.