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Articles by Tony Duffin
A new drug referral scheme kicked in today Will it reach who it needs to?
IRELAND’S HEALTH REFERRAL Scheme has come into operation. Under the pilot, some adults found in possession of drugs for personal use for the first time can be referred to health services rather than face prosecution. Public debate has largely focused on whether the scheme represents progress in drug policy. That is an important question. But there is another issue that receives far less attention: implementation.
The Joint Committee on Drugs Use Final Report could herald the biggest shake up of drug laws in the history of the Irish state
Drug Policy In Ireland: Beyond Analysis Paralysis and Consultation Fatigue The Joint Committee on Drugs Use Final Report, launched at Leinster House this morning, should be warmly welcomed. It is a serious piece of cross-party work, and it arrives at an important moment for Irish drug policy. The report considers the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use as part of a wider democratic process.
Film Review: Children in the Fire – Innocence, War and Resilience
Film And TV 03 Mar 26 "The documentary lays bare the old adage that innocence is the first casualty of war," writes Tony Duffin. Following the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in hosted a special screening of Children in the Fire in Dublin’s Irish Film Institute last night, March 2. Directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, the documentary focuses on one of the most devastating consequences of the war: its impact on children.
After the Drugs Wars
Who are the people most affected by the drugs trade? What are the challenges they face? This film explores the effects illicit economies have on drugs producers and consumers in Colombia, and how new alternative approaches are confronting the damaging legacy of the war on drugs.
What winter hides, summer reveals
WHEN WE THINK about anti-social behaviour in Dublin, the term “street-involved” describes people whose daily lives involve spending significant time in public spaces — often linked to homelessness or housing instability, reliance on day services, or long-term exclusion from mainstream supports. They are not a single group, and not all behaviour is the same, but what they share is a greater reliance on public spaces as part of everyday life.
Why Ireland needs to rethink the stories we tell about drug use
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.
How Colombia can rethink its response to drug use
THIS MONTH, A group of senior Colombian police officers visited Dublin to explore how Ireland responds to drugs. While the two countries face different drug-related challenges, the visit offered a unique opportunity to share strategies, including around law enforcement’s role in addressing drug use among people with multiple and complex needs. One of the key areas of focus during the visit was Ireland’s Law Engagement and Assisted Recovery (LEAR) programme.
Live Report: Paul Weller delights with hits old and new during Trinity Summer Series gig
If you’re a fan of Paul Weller, one familiar with all his tunes, then his showing in Trinity last night was an amazing gig. If however, you came only to bask in the big hits, then the experience might have been somewhat different. From the number of people in the audience chatting around me, it seemed that most were of the latter ilk. In fairness, at the age of 66, Weller has built up such an extensive back catalogue that it’s hard for people to keep up.
The trauma of war is fuelling drug abuse among soldiers in Ukraine
ON 22 MARCH 2024, in Vienna, a significant resolution was passed during the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). This resolution marked the first acknowledgment, by the CND, of ‘Harm Reduction’ as a crucial component of successful public health strategies. It urges countries to create and put into action Harm Reduction strategies to reduce the negative health and social impacts stemming from the non-medical use of illegal drugs.
Live Report: New Model Army roll back the years with first-rate Opium display
In 1980s Ireland and UK there were many style tribes - punks, goths, heavy metalers, indie kids, ravers, mods, casuals, crusties, grebos, psycho billy’s, teddy boys (yes, there were still some around) and more besides. New Model Army was formed in Bradford, England, in 1980. Arguably, bridging the punk, goth, indie and crustie scenes.
Each fatal drug overdose is a preventable death
OVERDOSES CONTINUE TO rise. Fatal overdoses continue to be a major health concern in Ireland. The most recent national statistics, from 2020, reveal a rise in poisonings — highlighting the increasing use of cocaine, and the risks associated with combining different drugs. 2023 saw the emergence of Nitazenes, potent synthetic opioids, on the illicit drugs market in Ireland — with significant clusters of related overdoses in Dublin and Cork towards the end of the year.
Live Report: revellers galore at Levellers' Button Factory Gig
I first saw Levellers play on 11th May 1989 at Thames Polytechnic in Woolwich South East London, a gig in a small dingy basement bar. It was a great gig with songs of love and anti-establishment sentiment. Not to mention the catchy sing along choruses that The Levellers do so well! I remember Justin Sullivan of New Model Army (who were at the height of their powers then) was in the audience.
Tony Duffin: Shane MacGowan was more than a Fairytale…
SHANE MACGOWAN, WAS well known as the male singer in the duet ‘Fairytale of New York’ alongside Kirsty MacColl (RIP). Released in 1987, Shane co-wrote the song with Jem Finer and it is now so popular I can see how some people could be forgiven for thinking that it’s all Shane is known for. However, Shane MacGowan was many things to many people. I want to tell you what he meant to me way back in 1980s London.
'We should learn from the drug treatment approach here'
In mid-July, Tony Duffin, CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project, visited the Overdose Prevention Centres in East Harlem and Washington Heights… here he says we should take inspiration from their recent response to street-based drug use and their attempts to reduce drug-related deaths. In November 2021, seemingly out of nowhere, New York City opened two fixed site Overdose Prevention Centres (AKA Drug Consumption Rooms).
Working To Decriminalise People Who Use Drugs
Today sees the publication of a new report, Working To Decriminalise People Who Use Drugs which describes how progress has been made across five different jurisdictions – Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Poland and the US State of Maine. Welcoming the report Tony Duffin CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project said, “This report is very timely. Not just for the counties evaluated, but across all jurisdictions where drug policy is being debated.
The Greek model of responding to drug use is worth keeping an eye on
AT 4AM ON Friday 10 February, the cab arrived to take us to Dublin airport for our city break to Athens. Austin, Brian and I had booked this four-day trip before Christmas; and we were looking forward to experiencing Greek hospitality, culture and food. We planned to visit the Acropolis and museums, eat in local restaurants, visit a hammam and go on one more excursion.
Opinion: Supervised drug injecting in Ireland - 10 years of advocacy, legislation and delays
IT HAS BEEN a decade since a supervised facility for people to inject drugs less harmfully was first proposed for Dublin. It has been almost five years since Supervised Injecting Facilities have been legal in Ireland. It is time one was opened. Street-based injecting Street-based injecting refers to the practice of injecting drugs in public or semi-public places. Street-based injecting is harmful.
Hiv · TheJournal.ie
# hiv - Today’s News HIV Living with HIV: 'Please don't feel alone, or that your voice doesn't matter - it does' A new campaign has been launched in Ireland ahead of World Aids Day tomorrow. # hiv - Friday 2 October, 2020 Gmhs Closure of PrEP service will 'undoubtedly' have impact on HIV rates, experts warn Oct 2nd 2020, 3:54 PM 17,276 Views 0 Comments Staff from the GMHS have been redeployed to Covid-19 test centres in recent months.
Opinion: How the pandemic acted as a catalyst for change in delivering vital homelessness services
THE FIRST WAVE of Covid-19 acted as a catalyst for change in the delivery of services to people who are homeless, and who use drugs, in Dublin. Ana Liffey Drug Project works with people who use drugs; to reduce the harms drug use causes them, their families and the community. We work in Dublin and the Midwest of Ireland, and we work in partnership with State agencies and other charities.
Read, Share and Shape the News
Poll: When do you open your Christmas presents? CHRISTMAS ISN’T ALL about presents, but for many people it’s an important part of the festive season. Some people like to open their gifts on Christmas Eve or first thing in the morning on Christmas Day, but others prefer post-dinner or after a religious service if they’re attending one. The exact timing is a bone of contention in many homes, with some choosing to stagger the process. We want to know: When do you open your Christmas presents?
Read, Share and Shape the News
Poll: Did your car insurance premium increase this year? THE PRICE OF car insurance continued to be a political football this year, as opposition parties criticised the government for failing to do anything about the rising cost of premiums. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin were at loggerheads in the Dáil recently as they made conflicting claims about whether the price of motor insurance has risen or fallen in recent years. We examine the issue in a FactCheck today.
Tents, gated lanes and abandoned sites: How street-based injecting shapes everyday life in our cities
THE OTHER EVENING I was sat in my car on Connaught St waiting for the traffic lights to change from red to green when my daughter asked me why we have to ask staff in that restaurant – she actually named a very well-known burger chain – for a code if we want to use their toilet. I explained that it was a way of them managing access for customers only to use their toilets and to try and reduce antisocial behaviour. Like injecting drugs.
Ana Liffey Drug Project's Tony Duffin: "There's a desperation that could bubble over into violence with the wrong word or look"
Self-isolating is impossible if you’re a heroin user who needs to score every day. Ana Liffey Drug Project CEO, TONY DUFFIN, writes about the people he’s meeting on the streets during the COVID-19 crisis and the trojan effort to provide them with the services they desperately need. On March 12, I picked up my daughters from their respective schools, as they were closing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Read, Share and Shape the News
Poll: Should artists be allowed to paint murals on the sides of buildings? A MURAL PAINTED on the side of a house in Dublin has sparked controversy recently after the local authority issued an enforcement order to have it removed. The Horseboy mural is just one of few which have been painted on buildings but later removed following an order from Dublin City Council – a mural of grime artist Stormzy was also ordered to be removed in 2017.
I felt intense pressure before I did my TEDx talk - but I'm very glad I did it. Here's what I learned
IF YOU HAVE ever wondered, as I did, what ‘TED’ stands for – it’s ‘Technology, Entertainment and Design’; and the ‘x’ in TEDx indicates that the talk is independently organised. A TEDx is different to a TED – in that a TEDx has a more local focus whilst a TED has an international focus. It is this focus on the local ideas that has helped TEDx to grow in popularity. I found this out when I was applying to give a TEDx talk as part of a Dublin Institute of Technology organised TEDx event.
Opinion: No one should be prosecuted for personal possession of drugs
A working group has been established under the National Drugs Strategy to look at at a rehabilitative response to possession of small amounts of illegal drugs for personal use. This is often referred to as a policy of decriminalising people who use drugs and the working group was due to report back by the end of this year so we expect to hear from them in 2019. The working group builds on the work of a parliamentary committee – the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality.
COMMENT: We must do more to prevent drug overdose deaths amongst the homeless | JOE.ie
The Christmas period can be particularly difficult for people who have to deal with homelessness and addiction, but the public can help. By Tony Duffin, CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project At Ana Liffey Drug Project, sadly, we know of too many homeless people who have died from a drug overdose during the festive season. A high percentage of people who access Ana Liffey’s services are homeless. Everyone we work with uses drugs problematically, to a greater or lesser degree.
What can Irish cities learn from the response to drug use in New Orleans?
NEW ORLEANS IS a party town with lots of things for tourists and locals to do. In central parts of both Dublin and New Orleans people overindulge in substances and this can create behaviours that become a policing problem. Like in Dublin, the most commonly used drugs are alcohol, cannabis, heroin and crack cocaine.
COMMENT: Ireland has a chance to set an example to the world in how we treat drug users | JOE.ie
COMMENT: Ireland has a chance to set an example to the world in how we treat drug users By Tony Duffin, CEO of the Ana Liffey Drug Project The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977/84, with subsequent amendments, is the primary source of drug-related policy in Ireland. 41 years of an enforcement-led approach has not reduced the availability of drugs or indeed reduced the harms associated with problematic drug use in Ireland.
'We need to help people who use drugs make healthier choices, not treat them as criminals'
IN NOVEMBER 2015, a Joint Oireachtas Committee published a report strongly recommending adopting a ‘harm reducing and rehabilitative approach to the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use’.
'She was frantic, her boyfriend had assaulted her and was going to make her do sex work'
IN APRIL 1993 I was 23 and had recently been made unemployed, so I started volunteering every Sunday night with a charity in London that ran a night shelter on Dean St in Soho.
How academics and service providers are working together to inform drug policy in Ireland
Since 2015, the LSE’s International Drug Policy Unit has been working with local partners the Ana Liffey Drug Project to help foster a new era of progressive drug policies in Ireland. Tony Duffin outlines the scale of Ireland’s drug problem and how the project aims to help inform drug policy in the country from a solid evidence base. In 2018 Ireland will continue on its path towards considering and implementing progressive drug policies.
Criminalising possession doesn't discourage use - we need real solutions
THE LAST YEAR has seen Ireland make huge strides in how we think about drug policy. As we face into an uncertain political future in Ireland, it is important that we maintain this momentum and keep driving towards policies that work. This is particularly true in 2016 as our own National Drug Strategy only runs to the end of the year, and as global drug policy is considered at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session.
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