The Bill is another element in the fight against drug abuse. However, it will affect a section of the community legally involved in the operation of public houses and dance halls. Having said that, I accept that the Bill will tackle the problem of rave parties.
I believe that 99 per cent of those who run public houses and dance halls want their operations to be within the law. However, it is difficult for the owners of public houses to monitor the activities of those who enter their premises. I became aware of a recent case where three out of 200 young people who frequented a public house were in possession of or using drugs and the owner faces terrible difficulties as a result. That publican may lose his licence because of the actions of those three people.
About 20 years ago my son was president of the UCD bar committee and, to rid the bar of drugs, he arranged for it to be raided. When the gardaí arrived the noise of drugs being dropped on the floor was like thunder. The bar did not suffer, nor did the people selling drugs which are still available in UCD as they are everywhere else.
How can we monitor people bringing in an E tablets, which is the smallest drug? Certain clubs and pubs in Kilkenny have stopped supplying water to customers. I have had arguments with my children about this; they say people taking E tablets must drink water to bring down their metabolic rate. What can we do about this? We should be educating rather than legislating. Publicans want to eliminate drugs from their premises. GAA clubs, rugby clubs and hockey clubs do not want a drug scene either, but we must face reality.
This legislation imposes huge fines and it will cause great difficulty to people trying to run legitimate businesses. I have no time for drug pushers but I am greatly concerned about people who are dragged into the drug culture. That does not start in discos or bars but outside, when people sell drugs to young kids and they in turn become involved in re-selling them.
Education might seem an innocuous way to tackle the problem, but the Minister for Education has not introduced a drugs education programme. My children are now grown up, they have gone through college and various social environments. They are able to tell me where drugs are available and the Garda knows this also. The problem is not the availability of drugs. We should introduce an educational system rather than impose penalties.
Anyone knowingly selling drugs or allowing his premises to be used for the sale of drugs should be put out of business immediately. Senator Howard represents the publicans, who are a responsible body of people. They try their best to ensure their premises are not misused by drug pushers or drug users, because if that happens they will go out of business fast.
People who run sports clubs do not want drugs sold on their premises. While the legislation is good in that it affects certain people, it does not hit those who promote the sale of drugs to children outside dance halls and pubs. We must target those people who sell drugs. If a dance hall owners or publicans allows the sale of drugs on their premises they should be put out of business and no one running a legitimate business would object.
We have not done enough to create a drugs free culture or to educate children about drugs. Unfortunately, people have died from E, a drug which pervades the drugs scene. How can a publican judge whether a young person enters a premises with five or six tablets? They cannot. How do we deal with that? I suggest we regulate by education rather than by the hard line taken in this Bill. Rogues should be eliminated from every element of society. They are small in number when one considers the number of people involved in legitimate business. If the same amount of money were put into the education of young people about the problems of drug abuse, this Bill would not be necessary.
I am not speaking for any group — operators of pubs, clubs, etc. — but I believe 90 per cent of people who run pubs, clubs or businesses are against the drugs culture because it militates against them. The damage that can be done to premises if drugs are available there is unbelievable; equally, it is difficult for publicans in areas which are popular among young people and if two or three of them decide to sell drugs, the publican is blamed. There is no way a publican can ensure that people do not bring Ecstasy into their premises. The only way it might be stopped is if there was a garda outside the door of every pub and club. Having said that, the publicans and club operators have a responsibility and they generally accept that responsibility but it annoys me that there are places in Dublin where it seems the licensing laws do not apply as pubs and clubs stay open all night. There are rows on these premises, some of which result in deaths. The licensing laws should apply equally to everyone. I am not sure what the Minister can do about this.
This legislation will not eliminate the drug problem. We will not eliminate it by the implementation of any legislation unless the education system is changed. If I was granted a pub licence in the morning, there is no way I could guarantee the elimination of drugs in my pub. It would be impossible. We cannot deal with the problem by hitting it on the head with this legislation, which will try to combat the major players. However, it should not affect a reasonable person doing a reasonable job.
Rave parties are part of the youth culture. I do not know how they can be eliminated. If I was 40 or 50 years younger I might go to one. If that is what young people want, that is what they will do. We have to ensure there is a system whereby the Garda knows where raves are being held. The person who is running the rave can then be told they will be raided if drugs are being sold. Rave parties cannot be eliminated. Young people should be allowed to have drug free raves.
The prevention of the sale and supply of drugs on licensed or unlicensed premises is a beautiful concept which we all agree with. This legislation will not get rid of the problems. I recognise the reasons for the Bill but I would like to see more money going into educating young people about the damage done by drugs and more emphasis on the fact that publicans and club owners do not want their premises used to sell drugs. Drug abuse is being combated. It cannot be eliminated, so we should try to contain it through education rather than using this legislation as a hammer to hit people who in many cases have no impact on the end result.