Muireann Duffy
The first meeting of the Citizens' Assembly on drug use is underway in Dublin, with participants considering how the State might address various issues around illegal substances.
The assembly, which is being led by former HSE chief executive Paul Reid, is meeting in Malahide this weekend.
In addition to Mr Reid, 99 members of the public have been chosen to take part and, based on their discussions over a series of meetings, will submit their recommendations to the Government.
The assembly is tasked with considering what legislative, policy and operational approaches could be taken to "significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on individuals, families, communities and wider Irish society".
Following this weekend, five further meeting of the assembly are also due to be held between May and October.
Speaking to Newstalk ahead of the assembly's first meeting, emergency medicine consultant Dr Chris Luke said more data is needed regarding drug use in some public spaces, such as public transport.
"I'm absolutely unconvinced that we have adequate data on drug use and drug-related pathology, particularly in the public health sphere, particularly in relation to, for example, violence on the Dart and on the train."
"Anybody who's going up and down to Dublin from Sligo, Galway or Cork, as I often do, will know there's a huge amount of problems with public disorder related to drug-taking actually on the trains and on the Dart," Dr Luke added.
