A number of years ago, I was on a clean-up of one of the parks in my constituency. It was a beautiful day. I remember looking down to the stream and I could see all these little silver canisters. I was aware it was really young people, children, who were actually using them. I coined the phrase "silver bullets" on the basis that these kids were basically playing Russian roulette. I came up with legislation and its aim was that, like cigarettes, this would be banned. I went to the Minister for children at the time, who was putting forward legislation. I met his officials and so on. Anyway, it was not a fit. I got the impression the people I was talking to did not really get the challenge being faced. At that time, the canisters were a different size. As was said, the canisters are now bigger. We have all seen them. It is not surprising that Deputy Danny Healy-Rae does not know about it because a lot of parents do not but they see these blue things at the side of the road. Deputy Mark Ward and I put our heads together then to try to decide how we would respond to it. One of the key things was that the children taking this thing should not be criminalised. That was the approach we wanted to take. I was also aware from the Garda of the challenges its members were facing. If they seized the drugs, technically, some of these people importing them could say it was for a legitimate use. One of the things I was told was that putting it on the drugs register would make it more difficult for them and they would actually have to prove it. As people said, the challenge nowadays is that there are so many young people doing this. It is really children. I am not talking about teenagers but about children who are using it. We have heard people talking about the impact it can have. They are literally risking their lives in relation to it. We have heard about some of the hospitals and adults and children presenting in relation to it. It has become very popular and people think it is safe. Others have spoken about the effects it can have on your brain or collapsed lungs, frostbite and so on. There is a whole range of things. A lot of the young people who are trying it are not particularly interested in that; they just want a legal high. It is so cheap, and, as someone said, it is a gateway. It is probably a gateway for some and probably the first drug they have ever used. I am appealing to the Minister of State. I do not care whose legislation goes forward. We need to do something in relation to this and we need to do it now. I am disappointed that the Government is adopting this approach. Collectively, though, we need to come together and sort this out.

Sentiment score: -0.01