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# Your Say
Poll: Should drugs be decriminalised for personal use?
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin thinks the move would save lives.
WRITING IN THEJOURNAL.IE today, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has called for the possession of drugs for personal use to be decriminalised.
The Labour senator said such a move would save lives, citing Portugal as an example of a successful decriminalisation model.
“Decriminalisation effectively means addressing addiction as a health issue, not a criminal one. It doesn’t change the illegal status of any drug – it means the person who takes those drugs is treated with care and respect.
“Currently we arrest, charge and convict people for being in possession of substances to which they are addicted, which is having absolutely no positive effect whatsoever,” Ó Ríordáin writes.
We want to know what you think: Should drugs be decriminalised for personal use?
Poll Results:
Yes (6333)
No (1856)
I'm not sure (394)
