TODAY IS A global day of action calling for drug policies based on health and human rights — Support. Don’t Punish Day. On a day like today, it’s clear that we need to move away from the narrative of blaming individuals and predominantly focusing on enforcement. Consistent, empathetic narratives must become the standard if health-led drug policies are to be effective. 

Each year, 26 June, the United Nations marks the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. It was set up to show what countries are doing to tackle drug problems. But over time, it has often focused more on punishment than on support. That’s why the campaign Support. Don’t Punish also takes place on this date — to remind us that health, human rights and dignity should shape how we respond to drugs. 

This is not just about symbols or slogans. The stories we tell — about who uses drugs, why, and with what impact — shape how people think, how policies are made and whether or not real change is possible. 

As in other countries, in Ireland, the public conversation about drugs is often shaped by emotional messages. For example, one we hear often is the idea that “middle-class” drug use or recreational drug use is to blame for the violence and intimidation in communities. It’s a strong, simple message that resonates with public concern, but it oversimplifies a complex issue, and this can make it harder for health-led policies to succeed. 

Fixing the message

We shouldn’t rely on simple answers to solve complex problems, but that’s often what happens when it comes to drug use. The way we talk about drug use doesn’t just reflect what people believe; it shapes what politicians think is possible. 

When the focus is on people who use drugs — especially recreational or non-problematic use — it suggests the problem is all about personal choice. It gives the impression that if people simply stopped using drugs, the wider harms would disappear, but that’s not how drug markets work. They are sustained by deeper issues — including poverty, social exclusion, inequality, the continuing demand for drugs and the profits created by prohibition itself. 

Public messaging about drugs often centres on police operations, drug seizures and arrests. These stories are dramatic, easy to report and give the impression that decisive action is being taken. While enforcement plays a role in disrupting supply and upholding the law, it does little to address the reasons why people use drugs, such as trauma, poverty, or mental health challenges.

Enforcement alone doesn’t reduce demand or prevent drug use. Arrests and seizures may cause short-term disruption, but they rarely lead to lasting change. Meanwhile, the most effective responses — like harm reduction, treatment, and decriminalisation — are often quieter and less visible. They don’t make big headlines. But they do save lives and reduce harm. 

The health-led approach

When most of the stories we hear are about crackdowns and crime, health-led approaches can be misunderstood or dismissed as too soft, even though they’re backed by strong evidence and proven to save lives. 

Ireland has taken steps in the right direction. The national commitment to a health-led approach is welcome – the decriminalisation of people who use drugs is a better policy option. But for these changes to work, the way we talk about drugs also needs to shift. 

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We need stories that: 

• Recognise that drug use happens in all communities; 

• Avoid blaming individuals in ways that ignore wider realities; 

• Focus on reducing harm, supporting recovery and protecting people’s health and rights; 

• And create space for evidence-informed, compassionate policies. 

We also need to move away from the ‘tough on drugs’ messages — stories that focus only on raids, arrests and moral judgment. 

We all have a role to play — not just in shaping policy, but in shaping the public conversation. On this  Support. Don’t Punish Day, let’s ask ourselves: do the stories we tell help build a better, health-led response to drug use, or do they make that harder? 

Real change requires more than new policies — it demands new ways of thinking, speaking and listening. It calls on us to tell better stories: ones rooted in empathy, evidence and lived experience.  

Tony Duffin is a social policy and public health consultant specialising in drug and alcohol policy. He has extensive experience in harm reduction and health-led approaches in Ireland and internationally.